MIDDLEBOURNE, W.Va. (Sept. 1) — A usually reserved Josh Richards was emotional in victory lane following his Sunday triumph at Tyler County Speedway. Turning laps at the quarter-mile bullring since a young age, the 31-year-old Shinnston, W.Va., finally added his name to the list of Hillbilly 100 winners, earning a $30,000 payday.

Leading flag-to-flag, Richards fought back early challenges from Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn. Surviving a late-race caution and seven-lap dash to the finish, Richards outran a hard-charging Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., to score his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season.

“It’s awesome,” Richards said. “Going to Pennsboro for this race when I was a kid and then moving here to Tyler County … I used to come here with Robbie Scott and my buddy Jared Hawkins as a kid growing up and as we got older. It’s just so close to home, an hour from where I grew up. I just love coming here. There’s just a lot of friends and family, and the way the track is, it’s so much fun.

“This race is what started all the big races, really. To pay what it did back in the ‘70s, 51 years later, Carl (Short) has done a phenomenal job. It kind of started the trend. It was awesome to finally get the Dirt Track (World Championship). So to get the Hillbilly with it, it’s pretty cool.”

Winning the night’s first heat race to start on the pole of the 100-lap feature, Richards charged to the lead at the drop of the green flag. The third-starting Owens worked the low groove through the early distance, pulling alongside Richards as the frontrunners navigated lapped traffic. It was a tight race through the halfway mark, until a lap-60 caution reset Richards at the front of the field.

Richards stretched his lead on the restart, approaching the tail of the field again on lap 71. As cars raced two- and three-wide in front of the race leader, Owens closed back in. Meanwhile behind the frontrunners, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill.,  and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., were in a tight battle for third, McCreadie holding the advantage when another yellow flag waved on lap 80.

Richards continued to show the way out front when the race went back green, with McCreadie powering ahead of second-running Owens. Charging from the ninth starting spot, Overton made his way into the top five late-race, challenging McCreadie for second when the final caution fell on lap 93.

As McCreadie slipped over the berm in turn two, Overton shot to second on the final lap, with Richards taking the checkered flag by a 1.003-second margin. Richards notched his 28th career Lucas Oil Series victory, his first at Tyler County.

“The bottom had some brown in it and then there was a chop down in three and four,” Richards said. “The the black had a little bit of abrasion and then it was like dust and then there was brown again. So you were kind of fighting a balance the whole time. Once I started maneuvering around in lapped traffic, I felt really good. With seven to go, if you miss the corner just a little bit, you slip and a guy gets a run on the outside, it’s over. So you just have to try to pace yourself. Luckily the car was good enough we could stay out front.”

Overton, the 2018 Hillbilly 100 winner and winner of Saturday’s Earl Hill Memorial at Tyler County, finished runner-up, with McCreadie settling for third. Rallying from the 20th starting spot, Shannon Buckigham of Morristown, Tenn., ran fourth, with Owens rounding out the top five.

“I felt like we had a winning car but I ain’t going to sit up here and piss and moan,” Overton said. “It was 100 laps, not 105. Hats off to them guys, I know they needed it. I love coming over here. This place kind fits me. I said it the other weekend at Batesville — we are getting better. Our car’s are getting better, everything we’re doing, our whole program’s getting better. I’m proud of that. To come home second, hell, I’ll take it.”

It was an all-around solid weekend for McCreadie, who scored his first Lucas Oil Series victory of the season on Friday at Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, Ky., and finished third on Saturday at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park.

“The longer run, we were really good,” McCreadie said. “It just was hard. It wasn’t as easy to pass as the last few times here. It was just dirt enough to keep a lot of guys … they could kind of run the middle and take up both lanes. That’s part of it. We got rolling on the top a little bit later and the right-front started giving up a little bit off the corner. That’s the worse spot. You need to be able to come down the hill or circle around. We just had a little of that. But all in all, a good run.”

Notes: Richards scored his third Lucas Oil Series victory of 2019. His most recent came in the July 16 stop at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D. … Richards is a former World of Outlaws Morton Building Late Model Series winner at Tyler County, his most recent victory coming in May 2016. … The race was slowed by three cautions. … The first yellow flag flew on lap 60 when Travis Brown spun in turn four. … After running as high as fourth, Brandon Sheppard slowed on the frontstretch with a flat tire to draw a caution on lap 80. … The final yellow flag waved on lap 93 when Billy Moyer Jr. dropped off the pace.

51st annual Hillbilly 100

Pos. Driver (car no.), hometown, chassis, earnings
1. Josh Richards (14), Shinnston, W.Va., Rocket, $30,000
2. Brandon Overton (2), Evans, Ga., Rocket, $12,000
3. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., Longhorn, $7,500
4. Shanon Buckingham (50), Morristown, Tenn., Longhorn, $5,000
5. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., Rocket, $4,000
6. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., Longhorn, $3,000
7. Jared Hawkins (11), Fairmont, W.Va., Rocket, $2,500
8. Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., Rocket, $2,000
9. Devin Moran (1), Dresden, Ohio, Rocket, $1,750
10. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, Rocket, $1,600
11. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., Rocket, $1,500
12. Johnny Scott (1st), Las Cruces, N.M., Bloomquist, $1,450
13. Stormy Scott (2), Las Cruces, N.M., Bloomquist, $1,425
14. Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., Rocket, $1,400
15. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., Rocket, $1,375
16. Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., Rocket, $1,350
17. Don O’Neal (5), Martinsville, Ind., Rocket, $1,325
18. Billy Moyer Jr. (21jr), Batesville, Ark., Longhorn, $1,300
19. Mike Benedum (8), Salem, W.Va., Bloomquist, $1,275
20. Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., Longhorn, $1,250
21. Earl Pearson Jr. (1), Jacksonville, Fla., Black Diamond, $1,225
22. Colten Burdette (44), Parkersburg, W.Va., Rocket, $1,200
23. Derek Doll (87), Greenwood, W.Va., Rocket, $1,200
24. Travis Brown (31), Jacksonburg, W.Va., Rocket, $1,200
25. Kyle Thomas (57), Pennsboro, W.Va., Punisher, $1,200
26. Shane Hitt (5*), Buckhannon, W.Va., Rocket, $1,200
Lap leader: Richards 1-100
Fast qualifier (among 34 cars): McCreadie, 12.722 seconds
Heat race winners: Richards, Owens, English, Davenport
Consolation winners: Hitt, Junghans
Provisional starters: Pearson, H. O’Neal, S. Scott, Thomas

Preliminary reports:

Hillbilly 100 lineup

Row 1: Josh Richards, Tanner English
Row 2: Jimmy Owens, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Tim McCreadie, Tyler Erb
Row 4: Jared Hawkins, Kyle Bronson
Row 5: Brandon Overton, Brandon Sheppard
Row 6: Colten Burdette, Don O’Neal
Row 7: Chris Ferguson, Derek Doll
Row 8: Mike Benedum, Devin Moran
Row 9: Shane Hitt, Chase Junghans
Row 10: Travis Brown, Shanon Buckingham
Row 11: Johnny Scott, Billy Moyer Jr.
Row 12: Earl Pearson Jr., H. O’Neal
Row 13: Stormy Scott, Kyle Thomas

Consolation results

First consolation finish (top three transfer): Shane Hitt, Travis Brown, Johnny Scott, Cody Rogers, Stormy Scott, Chris Garnes, Brian Baumberger, Steve Weigle. Scratched: Chris Carpenter.

Second consolation finish (top three transfer): Chase Junghans, Shanon Buckingham, Billy Moyer Jr., Jacob Hawkins, Earl Pearson Jr., Hudson O’Neal, Derek Stefanick, Kyle Thomas, Clint Keenan.

Consolation lineups

(15 laps; top three transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: Travis Brown, Shane Hitt
Row 2: Cody Rogers, Brian Baumberger
Row 3: Chris Garnes, Stormy Scott
Row 4: Steve Weigle, Chris Carpenter
Row 5: Johnny Scott
Second consolation
Row 1: Chase Junghans, Shanon Buckingham
Row 2: Billy Moyer Jr., Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 3: Jacob Hawkins, Kyle Thomas
Row 4: Derek Stefanick, Hudson O’Neal
Row 5: Clint Keenan

Heat race results

First heat finish (top four transfer): Josh Richards, Tim McCreadie, Brandon Overton, Chris Ferguson, Travis Brown, Cody Rogers, Chris Garnes, Steve Weigle.

Second heat finish (top four transfer): Jimmy Owens, Jared Hawkins, Colten Burdette, Mike Benedum, Shane Hitt, Brian Baumberger, Stormy Scott, Chris Carpenter.

Third heat finish (top four transfer): Tanner English, Tyler Erb, Brandon Sheppard, Derek Doll, Chase Junghans, Billy Moyer Jr., Jacob Hawkins, Derek Stefanick, Clint Keenan.

Fourth heat finish (top four transfer): Jonathan Davenport, Kyle Bronson, Don O’Neal, Devin Moran, Shanon Buckingham, Earl Pearson Jr., Kyle Thomas, Hudson O’Neal.

Heat race lineups

(10 laps; top four transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Tim McCreadie, Josh Richards
Row 2: Brandon Overton, Travis Brown
Row 3: Chris Ferguson, Johnny Scott
Row 4: Chris Garnes, Steve Weigler
Row 5: Cody Rogers
Second heat
Row 1: Jimmy Owens, Jared Hawkins
Row 2: Mike Benedum, Colten Burdette
Row 3: Brian Baumberger, Shane Hitt
Row 4: Stormy Scott, Chris Carpenter
Third heat
Row 1: Tyler Erb, Tanner English
Row 2: Brandon Sheppard, Chase Junghans
Row 3: Billy Moyer Jr., Derek Doll
Row 4: Jacob Hawkins, Derek Stefanick
Row 5: Clint Keenan
Fourth heat
Row 1: Kyle Bronson, Don O’Neal
Row 2: Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport
Row 3: Earl Pearson Jr., Shanon Buckingham
Row 4: Hudson O’Neal, Kyle Thomas

Qualifying

Tripping the clock with a time of 12.722 seconds, Tim MCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was the overall fast qualifier for Sunday’s Hillbilly 100. He’ll start on the pole of the first heat race. As the quickest qualifier in his respective time trial group, Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, will start on the pole of the third heat race. Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., and Kyle Bronson of Brandon, Fla., will join McCreadie and Erb as heat race polesitters.

Pre-race setup

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series wraps up its weekend tripleheader on Sunday at Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va. The quarter-mile bullring hosts the Carl Short-promoted Hillbilly 100 for the fourth consecutive season, with the 51st annual event paying $30,000-to-win.

Recent Hillbilly 100 winners include Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga. (2018), Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga. (’17) and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. (’16 and ’15). Overton scored a $5,000 victory in Saturday’s unsanctioned Earl Hill Memorial at Tyler County.

With Sunday’s World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series event at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, rained out, Dirt Million winner Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., and Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kan., are among drivers joining Lucas Oil Series regulars at Tyler County.

Sunday’s Super Late Model program will include hot laps, time trials, four heat races (top four transfer), two consolations (top three transfer) and the 100-lap feature. Fastrak Crate Late Models and Legends are among other divisions that will be in action.

Time trial results

Driver (car no.), hometown, time
Group A
Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 12.722
Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 12.867
Josh Richards (14), Shinnston, W.Va., 12.875
Jared Hawkins (11), Fairmont, W.Va., 12.902
Brandon Overton (2), Evans, Ga., 13.009
Mike Benedum (8), Salem, W.Va., 13.051
Travis Brown (31), Jacksonburg, W.Va., 13.118
Colten Burdette (44), Parkersburg, W.Va., 13.132
Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C., 13.141
Brian Baumberger (32B), Jacobsburg, Ohio, 13.194
Johnny Scott (1st), Las Cruces, N.M., 13.204
Shane Hitt (5*), Buckhannon, W.Va., 13.205
Chris Garnes (42), Evans, W.Va., 13.213
Stormy Scott (2), Las Cruces, N.M., 13.217
Steve Weigle (75), Middlebourne, W.Va., 13.277
Chris Carpenter (35), Parkersburg, W.Va., 13.296
Cody Rogers (22R), Spelter, W.Va., 13.298
Group B
Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 12.771
Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 12.849
Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky., 12.881
Don O’Neal (5), Martinsville, Ind., 12.898
Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 12.935
Devin Moran (1), Dresden, Ohio, 13.025
Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 13.051
Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 13.074
Billy Moyer Jr. (21jr), Batesville, Ark., 13.087
Earl Pearson Jr. (1), Jacksonville, Fla., 13.111
Derek Doll (87), Greenwood, W.Va., 13.124
Shanon Buckingham (50), Morristown, Tenn., 13.125
Jacob Hawkins (27), Fairmont. W.Va., 13.186
Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 13.220
Derek Stefanick (65), Carnegie, Pa., 13.347
Kyle Thomas (57), Pennsboro, W.Va., 13.555
Clint Keenan (29), Pataskala, Ohio, 13.722

Sunday’s schedule

Drivers meeting: 5:45 p.m.
Hot laps/time trials: 6:15 p.m.
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Legend hot laps
- Super Late Model qualifying (2 laps)
- Crate Late Model hot laps/qualifying
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heat races (15 laps)
- Crate Late Model heat races (8 laps)
- Super Late Model consolations (15 laps)
Intermission
- Super Late Model feature (100 laps)
- Legend heat races (8 laps)
- Crate Late Model consolations (10 laps)
- Legend feature (20 laps)
- Crate Late Model feature (30 laps)