PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (Oct. 21) — Josh Richards doubled his pleasure Saturday night at Portsmouth Raceway Park.

The 29-year-old star from Shinnston, W.Va., overtook Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., for the lead on lap 47 and never looked back en route to winning the 100-lap Rhino Ag Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries, giving him his first-ever victory in the 37th annual crown jewel event and the 2017 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship.

“I don’t know if it’s quite hit me yet,” Richards said after the race. “God is so good. I can’t even explain it. We made the switch last year, which was a very difficult decision. Eric and Kelly Brock, they gave me the opportunity. I didn’t know how we were going to do, what we were going to do.

"But fast-forward to now, to look at the year we’ve had and to be in this position, I think it all hit us at once. We were so happy for the championship and I’m like, ‘Oh wow, we just won a big race. too.’ To cap it off like this, with this (throwback car) and everything … it couldn’t have been scripted any better.”

Richards entered the weekend trailing Lucas Oil leader Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., by 40 points, but his $100,000 triumph and McCreadie’s 17th-place finish due to two significant bouts with misfortune — a flat tire on lap 16 that forced him to the rear of the field and another flat on lap 92 after rallying all the way back to fifth place — propelled him to his first career Lucas Oil crown. He joined Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., as the only drivers to claim Lucas Oil and World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series championships.

“Early we were just kind of riding kind of low,” Richards said. “And Scott (Bloomquist), he slid up in front of us a couple of times. I was just trying to ride it and save our stuff. I moved up on one of the starts and it felt really good. Then the caution came right back out.

“I really thought (Bloomquist) was going to pick the top because he picked it the time before. He picked the bottom and I got that run. I knew it was my only shot to try to get out there and roll. Clean air is really important here. I looked up and Brandon (Sheppard) had took the lead and was pulling away, and at that point I really didn’t feel that good. As the race went on, it felt like it was getting better. It’s just funny how it all changes."

Sheppard, the two-time and defending DTWC champion, settled for second place in Richards’s former Rocket Chassis house car ride. The 24-year-old crossed the finish line nearly a straightaway behind Richards’s Best Performance Motorsports XR1 Rocket after leading laps 35-46.

“I got the lead there kind of diamonding off the corner and coming off really low,” Sheppard said. “There was a pretty good brown streak down there. I kept fading and fading and fading after I got the lead. I knew I was kind of slowing up, but I was hoping that everybody else was slowing up a little bit too. I don’t think anybody really had the right tires on.

“On that restart I just stuck to my line, the line that I took the lead with and the line that I’d been running. Josh (Richards) just got up there in the middle and passed me. I thought there for a while that I was going to be able to get my speed back up and get my momentum going again and catch back to him. But he was just a little bit better tonight."

Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., finished third in G.R. Smith’s Flintstone F1yer car honoring the late Mike Duvall after leading all but one of the race’s first 34 laps. Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., placed fourth in Ronnie Delk’s machine and Jared Hawkins of Fairmont, W.Va., registered a career-best DTWC finish of fifth in his fourth start driving for Kentucky car owner Tim Logan.

“We just caught the lapped cars and the racetrack transitioned right as I caught the lapped cars and it kind of married us to the bottom,” Davenport said. “I moved out when I probably shouldn’t have. We was just so good in clean air and open track. I could just run at 75 percent and I could see (crewman) Bryan (Liverman) keep opening the sticks up. I thought we was going to have a good night. But I was just leading at the wrong time."

Bloomquist, who sat 75 points behind McCreadie in third place in the Lucas Oil points entering the DTWC, finished 12th after blowing a right-rear tire while running third on lap 92. He had challenged Richards for the lead on lap 83 before a caution flag flew and he proceeded to lose second to Sheppard on the restart.

Thirteen caution flags slowed the feature.

37th annual Rhino Ag Dirt Track World Championship
Pos. Driver (car no.), hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Josh Richards (1), Shinnston, W.Va., Rocket, $100,800
2. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., Rocket, $20,000
3. Jonathan Davenport (F1), Blairsville, Ga., Rocket, $10,000
4. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., Rocket, $7,000
5. Jared Hawkins (11H), Fairmont, W.Va., Rocket, $5,000
6. Zack Dohm (17D), Cross Lanes, W.Va. Swartz, $3,500
7. Chub Frank (1*), Bear Lake, Pa., Longhorn, $3,200
8. Brandon Overton (116), Evans, Ga., Longhorn, $3,000
9. Darrell Lanigan (14), Union, Ky., Club 29, $3,500
10. Dennis Erb Jr. (26), Carpentersville, Ill., Black Diamond, $3,200
11. Tyler Carpenter (28C), Parkersburg, W.Va., Kryptonite, $2,450
12. Scott Bloomquist (18), Mooresburg, Tenn., Sweet-Bloomquist, $3,400
13. Rod Conley (71), Wheelersburg, Ohio, Rocket, $2,350
14. Hudson O'Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Club 29, $3,100
15. Josh Bocook (B1), Wheelersburg, Ohio, Swartz, $2,250
16. Eric Wells (18), Hazard, Ky., Longhorn, $2,200
17. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., Longhorn, $2,950
18. Brandon Fouts (81), Kite, Ky., Swartz. $2,100
19. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., Longhorn, $2,075
20. Don O'Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Club 29, $2,860
21. Steve Casebolt (c9), Richmond, Ind., MasterSbilt, $2,050
22. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Rocket, $2,840
23. Earl Pearson Jr. (28), Jacksonville, Fla., Longhorn, $2,830
24. Tim Dohm (6T), Cross Lanes, W.Va., Swartz, $2,020
25. Steve Francis (15), Bowling Green, Ky., Capital, $810
26. Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., Rocket, $800
27. Devin Gilpin (1G), Columbus, Ind., MasterSbilt, $2,000
28. Doug Drown (240), Wooster, Ohio, Swartz, $2,000
29. Jackie Boggs (4B), Grayson, Ky., Swartz, $2,000
Lap leaders: Davenport 1-5, 7-34; Owens 6; Sheppard 35-46; Richards 47-100
H. O'Neal, Bloomquist, Boggs, D. O'Neal, Hawkins, McCreadie, Sheppard, Owens, Davenport, Drown, Z. Dohm, T. Dohm, Delmas Conley, Rod Conley, Eddie Carrier Jr., Dale McDowell
Consolation winners: T. Dohm, Ferguson, Gilpin
Provisional starters: Lanigan, H. O'Neal, Satterlee, Francis, Fouts, Bocook
Jim Dunn Memorial non-qualifiers' race winner: Boggs

Preliminary results and notes:

Feature updates

Lap 100: Richards wins the Dirt Track World Championship.

Lap 92: A yellow flag waves on the ensuing restart as McCreadie slows with a flat tire.

Lap 92: Bloomquist slows in turns three and four with a flat tire, nearly colliding with Mike Marlar.

Lap 83: As Bloomquist pulls alongside Richards to challenge for the lead, a yellow flag waves when Chris Ferguson slows off the pace.

Lap 70: Charging around the high side, McCreadie has worked his way up to fifth after going to the rear of the field in the early running.

Lap 67: Tyler Carpenter slows with a flat tire to draw a caution.

Lap 65: As the leaders enter lapped traffic, Bloomquist begins closing in on Richards.

Lap 53: A yellow flag waves when Owens slows in turn three. Richards leads Sheppard, Bloomquist, Hawkins and Davenport.

Lap 47: Using momentum from the restart, Richards overtakes Sheppard for the lead. Hawkins is up to third.

Lap 46: After running as high as second, Pearson slows to draw a caution on the restart.

Lap 45: Tim Dohm spins in turn two to draw a caution. Sheppard leads Pearson, Bloomquist, Richards and Davenport. After starting in 14th, Jared Hawkins runs sixth. McCreadie is back up to 13th.

Lap 42: Another yellow flag waves for Owens. Sheppard leads, while Bloomquist and Richards have moved ahead of Davenport after the restart.

Lap 41: Owens and Satterlee tangle on the frontstretch to draw a caution. Sheppard leads Davenport, Bloomquist, Pearson and Richards.

Lap 35: Running the low groove, Sheppard slips ahead of Davenport down the backstretch, edging ahead at the line to take the lead.

Lap 31: Working his way past Owens, Sheppard begins reeling in Davenport in lapped traffic.

Lap 25: Davenport holds a commanding lead over Owens as he approaches lapped traffic. Sheppard has moved past Pearson to run in third.

Lap 18: Satterlee spins in turn two to draw a caution. Davenport leads Owens, Pearson, Brandon Sheppard and Bloomquist.

Lap 16: Another yellow flag falls on the ensuing restart for a turn-three tangle involving Devin Gilpin and Jackie Boggs. McCreadie and Hudson O'Neal were collected in the incident, but were able to pull away.

Lap 16: A yellow flag waves for a turn-one tangle involving Hudson O'Neal and Brandon Fouts. Daveport continues to lead Owens, Earl Pearson Jr., Scott Bloomquist and Josh Richards. Tim McCreadie is forced to pit under the caution with a flat tire.

Lap 12: Just as Owens was ready to challenge Davenport for the lead, Gregg Satterlee slows in the top of turns three and four to draw the first caution.

Lap seven: As Davenport slipped on the backstretch on lap six, Owens edged ahead to lead a single lap, with Davenport moving back to the point one circuit later.

Lap one: Jonathan Davenport pulls ahead of Jimmy Owens to lead the first lap.

10:02 p.m.: Introductions are complete and drivers have been given the call to fire engines. Feature cars start rolling out for pace laps.

9:48 p.m.: Feature cars have made their way onto the frontstretch and out-of-car driver introductions will get under way shortly.

Notable DTWC stats

Some DTWC statistics to consider before the start of the 100-lapper …

• Average DTWC finishes for three Lucas Oil title contenders: Josh Richards 8.3 (over 10 starts), Scott Bloomquist 10.5 (29 starts) and Tim McCreadie 13.1 (seven starts). Average DTWC finishes at PRP: Richards 6.0 (over four starts), Bloomquist 6.4 (five starts) and McCreadie 9.5 (two starts).

• Six current Lucas Oil regulars have won the DTWC: Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, Don O’Neal, Darrell Lanigan, Earl Pearson Jr. and Steve Francis.

• Four previous DTWC have been contested on Oct. 21. Jack Boggs of Grayson, Ky., won the first two, in 1984 and 1990 at Pennsboro (W.Va.) Speedway, while Bart Hartman (2001 at Pennsboro) and Shannon Babb (2006 at then K-C Raceway in Chillicothe, Ohio) won the others.

• Since 1994, there have been 19 different DTWC winners in 23 events. Only three drivers have repeated DTWC victories: Bloomquist (wins in ’05, ’14 and ’15), Sheppard (wins in ’13 and ’16) and Babb (wins in ’02 and ’06).

• The most consistent DTWC racer in recent seasons has been Don O’Neal, who hasn't finished worse than sixth in the last six DTWC features and won the 2011 event at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, Ohio. Interestingly, O’Neal's best DTWC finish (over seven career starts) prior to his recent hot stretch was previously sixth at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky., in 2002.

• Though he did not finish the race in either 2015 or 2016, Jimmy Owens has ranked among the top five in each of the last five DTWC features which saw him running at the finish. He was fourth before slowing and retiring last season.

• An Ohio driver hasn’t finished on the DTWC’s podium since Bart Hartman placed third in 2005 at K-C Raceway.

• DTWC feature laps led at Portsmouth: Bloomquist 239, Owens 108, Sheppard 83, Moyer 38, Richards 30, Carrier 1 and O’Neal 1.

Jim Dunn Memorial non-qualifiers’ results

Finish: Jackie Boggs, Jason Covert, Mason Zeigler, Boom Briggs, R.J. Conley, Kyle Bronson, Kyle Hardy, Jason Feger, Michael Brown, Kirk Phillips, Mark Frazier, Tyler Erb, Chris Hackett, Craig Wolford, Colton Flinner, Jason Jameson, Dale McDowell, Byron Meeks, Dave Hornikel, Audie Swartz, Steve Stollings, Clint Kennan, Larry Holbrook, Lee Logan.

Jim Dunn Memorial non-qualifiers’ lineup

Row 1: Kyle Bronson, Jason Covert
Row 2: Jackie Boggs, Devin Moran
Row 3: Dale McDowell, Delmas Conley
Row 4: Boom Briggs, R.J. Conley
Row 5: Kyle Hardy, Tyler Erb
Row 6: Mark Frazier, Steve Stollings
Row 7: Jason Feger, Michael Brown
Row 8: Chris Hackett, Dave Hornikel
Row 9: Lee Logan, Craig Wolford
Row 10: Eddie Carrier Jr., Audie Swartz
Row 11: Colton Flinner, Byron Meeks
Row 12: Clint Keenan, Kirk Phillips
Row 13: Charlie Jude, Jason Montgomery

37th annual DTWC lineup

Row 1: Jonathan Davenport, Jimmy Owens
Row 2: Earl Pearson Jr., Brandon Sheppard
Row 3: Josh Richards, Scott Bloomquist
Row 4:  Don O’Neal, Tim McCreadie
Row 5: Mike Marlar, Rod Conley
Row 6: Brandon Overton, Doug Drown
Row 7: Steve Casebolt, Jacob Hawkins
Row 8: Zack Dohm, Chub Frank
Row 9: Tim Dohm, Chris Ferguson
Row 10: Devin Gilpin, Tyler Carpenter
Row 11: Dennis Erb Jr., Eric Wells
Row 12: Darrell Lanigan, Hudson O'Neal
Row 13: Gregg Satterlee, Steve Francis
Row 14: Brandon Fouts, Josh Bocook

Third consolation

A red flag fell on the opening lap when Shannon Thornsberry got into the backstretch wall, collecting Ronnie Whitt. Polesitter Devin Gilpin shot to the lead as the race went green, with Steve Francis pulling ahead of Jackie Boggs to run in second. Charging around the top side, Eric Wells challenged Francis for second, edging ahead on lap six. Gilpin continued to lead at the halfway mark, with Wells and Francis running side-by-side for second. A yellow flag waved on lap 11 when Charlie Jude slowed on the backstretch. Colton Flinner slowed with a flat tire to draw a caution on the following circuit. Holding his lead through the restarts, Gilpin won the consolation. Wells held off Bogg’s late-race charge to finish second and transfer to the feature.

Finish (top two transfer): Devin Gilpin, Eric Wells, Jackie Boggs, Steve Francis, R.J. Conley, Mark Frazier, Michael Brown, Lee Logan, Colton Flinner, Kevin Wagner, Byron Meeks, Brandon Fouts, Charlie Jude, Mason Zeigler, Shannon Thornsberry, Ronnie Whitt. Scratched: Stephen Breeding, Ben Adkins.

Second consolation

Outside polesitter Hudson O’Neal slid ahead of fellow front row starter Gregg Satterlee in turns three and four to lead the opening lap. The pair battled side-by-side in the early running, with Chris Ferguson holding a solid third. O’Neal continued to lead at the halfway mark, beginning to extend his lead over Satterlee. Ferguson slipped head of Satterlee on lap 13 to take over the second-place spot. A yellow flag flew on lap 14 when Satterlee spun in the bottom of turn two. O’Neal was forced to pit under the caution with a flat left-rear tire. Inheriting the point, Ferguson led the final laps, with Dennis Erb Jr. grabbing the second and final transfer spot.

Finish (top two transfer): Chris Ferguson, Dennis Erb Jr., Jason Covert, Dale McDowell, Boom Briggs, Tyler Erb, Jason Feger, Dave Hornikel, Audie Swartz, Hudson O’Neal, Gregg Satterleee, Billy Staker, Darrell Lanigan, Jason Montgomery, Larry Holbrook, Jeff Arnold. Scratched: Billy Gullion, Mike Benedum, Corey Conley.

First consolation

Polesitter Tim Dohm charged to the lead at the drop of the green flag, with Eddie Carrier Jr. and Devin Moran pulling ahead down the backstretch as outside polesitter Tyler Carpenter slipped back to fourth. A yellow flag waved on lap two when Jason Perry slowed off the pace. Dohm held his lead on the restart, with Moran shooting into second. The pair raced side-by-side down the frontstretch on lap four, with Dohm edging ahead at the line. A yellow flag flew on lap eight when fourth-running Carrier slowed on the backstretch. Third-running Jared Miley pulled ahead of Moran on the restart, charing around the high side to challenge Dohm for the lead. With Dohm stretching his lead late-race, Miley was forced to pit on lap 15 when his car started billowing smoke. Dohm won the consolation, with Carpenter rallying back to finish second and transfer to the feature.

Finish (top two transfer): Tim Dohm, Tyler Carpenter, Kyle Bronson, Devin Moran, Delmas Conley, Kyle Hardy, Steve Stollings, Chris Hackett, Craig Wolford, Clint Kennan, Kirk Phillips, Jared Miley, Jason Jameson, Eddie Carrier Jr., Josh Bocook, Robbie Scott, Shane Hitt, Jason Perry. Scratched: Frank Heckenast Jr.

Pre-race notes

The Rhino Ag Dirt Track World Championship weekend concludes with another gorgeous day that’s more like summer than fall. Skies are more overcast than Friday, but temperatures have again neared 80 during the afternoon with cool-but-comfortable conditions expected after the sun sets. … Polesitter Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., will be trying to shake off some DTWC struggles at PRP. Since finishing fourth while making his first DTWC start in 2010 at West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, W.Va., Davenport surprisingly has a best race finish of just 11th over five starts, all of which have come at Portsmouth. Davenport has had other Lucas Oil success at PRP, including a victory on Sept. 3, 2016. … Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., decided to park his Clint Bowyer Racing No. 29 throwback car due to a broken rearend, driveshaft and other problems sustained during Friday night’s second round of heats. He’s behind the wheel of his backup machine that carries his usual No. 14 and a red, white and blue scheme. … Jared Hawkins of Fairmont, W.Va., starts 14th in the 100-lapper, which marks his fourth appearance since hooking up with Kentucky car owner Tim Logan last month. It’s Hawkins’s first DTWC feature run since a 19th-place finish in 2013 at PRP and his third overall; he finished 16th in the ’11 edition at Atomic Speedway in Alma, Ohio. … Both Tim Dohm and his son, Zack, won Round 2 heat races, but only Zack earned enough passing points to lock into the feature in the 15th spot. Tim missed the 16-car cut-off by one spot, forcing him to run a B-main. … Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., the 2007 DTWC winner, starts 16th in the 100-lapper. It’s his first DTWC feature start since he finished 14th in 2012 at PRP. … Frank Heckenast Jr. of Frankfort, Ill., headed home last night after experiencing a grinding crash on the opening lap of a first-round heat. He started the prelim from the outside pole but a scramble up front sent him into the outside wall between turns one and two, significantly damaging the right side of his Black Diamond car — he said even his seat was slightly broken — and leaving him dazed and with a sore left arm and other bruises. … Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky., will run a B-main in his backup car after his primary machine was left with a bent lower left-side frame rail and other damage after a Round 2 heat-race scrape with Chub Frank sent him spinning in turn three. Wells’s car was clipped in its left door by West Virginia’s Mike Benedum and hit from behind by Kyle Hardy. … Benedum, who was driving Eric Hudkins’s No. 1 for the first time this season, scratched from further weekend action after the heat-race accident. His mount’s right-rear wheel was completely ripped away and he nearly flipped, though he did escape injury. … Hardy, meanwhile, had his car’s air cleaner pulled off, among other problems, but he is back to run a B-main.

Consolation lineups

(15 laps; top two transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: Tim Dohm, Tyler Carpenter
Row 2: Eddie Carrier Jr., Delmas Conley
Row 3: Kyle Bronson, Josh Bocook
Row 4: Devin Moran, Shane Hitt
Row 5: Jason Jameson, Jared Miley
Row 6: Jason Perry, Chris Hackett
Row 7: Clint Kennan, Kirk Phillips
Row 8: Kyle Hardy, Robbie Scott
Row 9: Craig Wolford, Steve Stollings
Row 10: Frank Heckenast Jr.
Second consolation
Row 1: Gregg Satterlee, Hudson O'Neal
Row 2: Chris Ferguson, Boom Briggs
Row 3: Dale McDowell, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 4: Tyler Erb, Jason Feger
Row 5: Jason Covert, Jason Montgomery
Row 6: Audie Swartz, Billy Staker
Row 7: Darrell Lanigan, Larry Holbrook
Row 8: Jeff Arnold, Mike Benedum
Row 9: Dave Hornikel, Billy Gullion
Row 10: Corey Conley
Third consolation
Row 1: Devin Gilpin, Jackie Boggs
Row 2: Steve Francis, Michael Brown
Row 3: Mark Frazier, Ben Adkins
Row 4: Shannon Thornsberry, Eric Wells
Row 5: Brandon Fouts, Mason Zeigler
Row 6: Colton Flinner, Stephen Breeding
Row 7: Lee Logan, Charlie Jude
Row 8: R.J. Conley, Kevin Wagner
Row 9: Byron Meeks, Ronnie Whitt

Pre-race setup

Lucas Oil Series action continues on Saturday night at Portsmouth Raceway Park with the conclusion of the 37th annual Rhino Ag Dirt Track World Championship. The evening’s race lineups have already been determined by the double round of heat races contested on Friday night.

The top 16 drivers in Friday’s combined passing points totals are already locked in to Saturday’s 100-lap feature. Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., will make up the front row of the $100,000-to-win feature.

Saturday’s program will include three consolation races, with the top two finishers from each race transferring to the feature. The show will also include the Jim Dunn Memorial non-qualifiers’ race and the $4,000-to-win modified feature.