ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Dec. 2) — Updates from Friday’s second night of the sixth annual Gateway Dirt Nationals at The Dome at America's Center in downtown St. Louis, which hosts a $5,000-to-win main event for Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Narrowly denying all challengers, second-starting Cody Bauer of Farwell, Mich., paced all 25 laps from the outside front row to capture Friday's Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals preliminary feature at The Dome at America's Center. He survived a two-to-go bid from Garrett Alberson and beat Wil Herrington to the finish line by 0.483 of a second for the $5,000 top prize.

Feature lineup

(25 laps)

Row 1: Garrett Alberson, Cody Bauer
Row 2: Tyler Erb, Jon Lee
Row 3: Patrik Daniel, Jesse Lowe
Row 4: Wil Herrington, Justin Reed
Row 5: Jadon Frame, Trevor Gundaker
Row 6: Austin Horton, Steve Sheppard Sr.
Row 7: Devin Moran, Mike Spatola
Row 8: Greg Kimmons, Jason Welshan
Row 9: Carson Hocevar, Tyler Carpenter
Row 10: Kenny Collins

Carpenter-O’Neal incident

Mayhem broke out during the fourth heat when Hudson O’Neal’s attempt to overtake Tyler Carpenter for the lead on an opening-lap restart ended with the Martinsville, Ind., driver slamming the outside wall at the turn-two track exit and then spinning Carpenter in frustration during the ensuing caution flag.

After two unsuccessful attempts to start the race, O’Neal had a run on Carpenter off the top of turn two. O’Neal ran out of room as Carpenter slid up the track, however, forcing the 22-year-old’s Roger Sellers-owned Double Down Motorsports machine into the Jersey barrier and catch fence at the opening to the pits. As Carpenter motored away, O’Neal absorbed a hit to his car’s rearend from Kyle Lear and Jon Lee contacted Lear’s machine.

Limping off from the scene with heavy damage to his car’s front and rear, O’Neal tracked down Carpenter just past the starter’s stand on the homestretch and spun the West Virginian around with a blast to the left-rear corner. The contact flattened Carpenter’s left-rear tire, sending him out of the race with O’Neal.

Tensions were high in the pit area with the Carpenter and O’Neal teams exchanging words as a large crowd of bystanders looked on, but Dome security and police officers stationed themselves at both pit stalls and the situation soon calmed down.

O’Neal was disqualified from further action on Friday by Gateway Dirt Nationals promoter Cody Sommer for hitting Carpenter under caution, but he said the damage to his car’s front end was too extensive for him to make repairs for a B-main. He was also not expecting to race in Saturday’s finale.

Carpenter, who was credited with a fourth-place finish in the heat because only three cars remained running after the incident (Lee recovered from his involvement in the tangle to win the race), did not see much damage to his car and was planning to take a shot at transferring to the preliminary feature through a B-main.

Consolation race results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First consolation: Devin Moran, Greg Kimmons, Carson Hocevar, Rylee Knoll, Justin Green, Oscar McCown, Nicky Pennington, Todd Brennan, Bob Sidener, Timothy McKeenhan, Austin Seelig, Megan Sanders, Lance Brasington, Donald McIntosh, Cyle Forgy.

Second consolation: Mike Spatola, Jason Welshan, Tyler Carpenter, Kenny Collins, Harry Hanson, Colin Shipley, Jody Knowles, Daniel Jacober, Kyle Lear, Max Baker, Dylan Knowles, Scott Cimfl, Scott Bloomquist, Andy Pickelsimer. Scratched: Ruben Mayfield

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top two transfer)

First heat: Tyler Erb, Wil Herrington, Carson Hocevar, Devin Moran, Timothy McKeenhan, Nicky Pennington, Austin Seelig, Casey White, Chris Nash.

Second heat: Cody Bauer, Jadon Frame, Greg Kimmons, Todd Brennan, Oscar McCown, Megan Sanders, Lance Brasington, Derek Fetter. Scratched: Max Nelson

Third heat: Jesse Lowe, Austin Horton, Rylee Knoll, Donald McIntosh, Justin Green, Cyle Forgy, Bob Sidener, Timothy Welch, Zach Wohlers.

Fourth heat: Jon Lee, Justin Reed, Scott Cimfl, Tyler Carpenter, Kyle Lear, Ruben Mayfield, Max Baker, Cody Holtkamp, Hudson O'Neal. Scratched: Cody Holtkamp

Fifth heat: Garrett Alberson, Trevor Gundaker, Mike Spatola, Kenny Collins, Jody Knowles, Dylan Knowles, Andy Pickelsimer, Mike Provenzano, Robert Ardry.

Sixth heat: Patrik Daniel, Steve Sheppard Jr., Jason Welshan, Harry Hanson, Scott Bloomquist, Daniel Jacober, Colin Shipley, Nathan Carpenter, Justin Carter.

Pre-race notes

Fifty-four of the 72 competitors pre-entered for Friday’s preliminary program have signed in for the second night of the sixth annual Castrol Gateway Dirt Nationals, putting the 2022 car count at an event-record 119. The previous high car count was 97 for the inaugural weekend in 2016. … Temperatures outside the Dome have risen to the low 50s and conditions remain dry but winds have picked up considerably. … After the surface of the Dome’s temporary fifth-mile oval turned out hard and much smoother than expected for Thursday’s preliminary card, observers noted before the start of Friday’s hot laps that it appeared the track-prep crew had added more water to the dirt in hopes of providing racers a speedway with more moisture and grip. … Two of the three winners of the Gateway Dirt Nationals finale — Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn. (2016) and Tyler Carpenter of Parkersburg, W.Va. (2019 and ’21) — are in Friday’s field. … Bloomquist experienced immediate trouble when he hit the track for hot laps; he limped into the infield due to a starter issue without completing a circuit at speed. … Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., is bringing to end his two-year run as the driver of Roger Sellers’s Double Down Motorsports machine with his first Gateway Dirt Nationals appearance since 2017 when he won a preliminary feature and finished 17th in the finale. … Another high-profile driver returning to the Dome after a long absence is Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, who is piloting fellow Ohioan Rick Mardis’s Kryptonite No. 2 in his first event start since his 20th-place finish in the 2016 inaugural. … NASCAR Truck Series regular Carson Hocevar of Mooresville, N.C., is among Friday’s entrants. … Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., is racing as a teammate to Joe Denby of Tullahoma, Tenn., in his first career Gateway Dirt Nationals start. … After watching his star son Brandon Sheppard finish seventh in Thursday’s preliminary feature, Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill., is carrying the family’s mantle on Friday. The elder Sheppard, who plans a return to semi-regular competition in 2023, is competing at the Dome for the first time. … Nicky Pennington of Morehead, Ky., is making this Dome debut behind the wheel of a No. 95 machine sporting a Lightning McQueen-lookalike scheme.

Time trials

Friday’s schedule

10 a.m.: Registration and credentials office opens
10:30 a.m.: Permitted early access (credential required)
11 a.m.: Pit area opens
11 a.m.: Technical inspection begins
1 p.m.: Driver’s meeting
1 p.m.: Fuel storage opens
2 p.m.: Spectator gates open
2 p.m.: Engine heat permitted
3 p.m.: On-track activity begins
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Super Late Model time trials
- Modified hot laps/time trials
5 p.m.: Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Modified heats (8 laps)
- Super Late Model consolations (10 laps)
- Modified consolations (8 laps)
- Super Late Models feature (25 laps)
- Modified feature (20 laps)
(Pit area cleared and closed one hour after final checkered flag)