ROSSBURG, Ohio — Updates from Wednesday's Castrol FloRacing Night in America event at Eldora Speedway, a $20,000-to-win event that serves as the opening event of Dream Week:

Pre-race notes

Eldora Speedway was hit by a downpour at 1 p.m. that lasted about a half-hour, but only some brief spurts of light rain dotted the remainder of the 80-degree afternoon. The track surface was ready for hot laps to start on time at 6 p.m. though a threat of rain remains into the evening and, in fact, returned after practice at 6:30 p.m. to delay time trials. … The night’s 85-car field is a record turnout for the third-year Castrol FloRacing Night in America series. … Teams going through technical inspection on Wednesday afternoon — a process overseen by the Castrol tour’s Ray Cook with assistance from DIRTcar officials and World of Outlaws director Steve Francis — are also cleared for Dream action to follow this week. … One day after Eldora staff attended funeral services for track general manager Jerry Gappens, who died last Tuesday, a large banner of Gappens’s smiling face is hanging from the back of the VIP tower outside turns three and four. It includes a quote from Gappens: “It’s a great day for a race.” … Hoosier Tire’s Shanon Rush spoke to competitors during the drivers’ meeting to remind them to raise air pressure and lower the camber on the right-front corners of their cars to reduce tire blow-out concerns on the high-speed oval. … Among drivers making their Eldora debuts are Sammy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who father Jimmy won the Dream in 1997, and Trey Mills of St. Augustine, Fla., who became eligible for Eldora competition when he turned 16 on May 9. … Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., has horror movie character Freddy Krueger incorporated into his car’s wrap for the week. There’s even “slashes” from Krueger’s knife fingers spread across his bodywork. … Pierce’s girlfriend, Abby Foster, is working as a Ms. Eldora Speedway, joining Devin Moran’s sister, Savanna, as one of the track’s two hostesses. … Ethan Dotson of Bakersfield, Calif., who is in his third week driving for ASD Motorsports, is making his second career Late Model appearance at Eldora after making his debut in last October’s Dirt Track World Championship. He’s also made one modified start at Eldora, but that one ended with him hitting the turn-one wall and “about ripping the front clip off.” … Dotson’s crewman, Tyler Breashears, started up a $100 buy-in competition among ASD team members and other interested parties that asks entrants to pick who will finish better this evening: Dotson or his teammate John Henderson of Aiken, S.C. … Lucas Oil Series announcer James Essex will be in the booth calling the action with Dustin Jarrett over the three nights of Dream racing, but this evening he has a different job. With Ben Shelton joining Jarrett upstairs as the Castrol series announcers, Essex is working the pits as a reporter alongside Mike Norris. Essex said it’s the first time he’s done pit reporting “since Hudson O’Neal was in diapers” — or more specifically, a World 100 in the early 2000s.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown
Haiden Cowan (14), Rincon, Ga.
Mike Provenzano (M27), Marseilles, Ill.
Oakley Johns (C6), Hohenwald, Tenn.
Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va.
Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga.
Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill.
Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla.
Garrett Smith (10), Eatonton, Ga.
Christian Hanger (29), Winchester, Tenn.
Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio
Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla.
Kye Blight (31aus), Bunbury, W. Australia
Austin Smith (11), Cedartown, Ga.
Jerry Bowersock (95j), Wapakoneta, Ohio
Joseph Joiner (10), Milton, Fla.
Terry Rushlow (63), Holland, Ohio
Andrew Reaume (88), Blenheim, Ontario
Ethan Hunter (15), Tiger, Ga.
Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa.
Donald McIntosh (79), Dawsonville, Ga.
Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark.
Kody Evans (4G), Camden, Ohio
Mike Benedum (25), Salem, W.Va.
Seth Daniels (s21), Jackson, Ohio
Stormy Scott (2s), Las Cruces, N.M.
Mike Myers (48), Ruleville, Miss.
Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn.
Jake Elam (24), Senatobia, Miss.
Rob Anderzack (8), Swanton, Ohio
Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn.
Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga.
Ashton Winger (12), Hampton, Ga.
Dustin Linville (D8), Bryantsville, Ky.
Tim Lance (48), Brimfield, Ill.
Shannon Babb (18), Moweaqua, Ill.
Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill.
Spencer Hughes (19m), Meridian, Miss.
Max McLaughlin (22*), Mooresville, N.C.
Cade Dillard (97), Robeline, La.
Nick Hoffman (9), Mooresville, N.C.
Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M.
Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C.
Tanner English (96), Benton, Ky.
Group B
Bryant Dickinson (5*), Ionia, Mich.
Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn.
Jensen Ford (83), Johnson City, Tenn.
Trent Ivey (G4), Union, S.C.
Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa.
Allen Styck (11), Americus, Ga.
Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind.
Dylan Thompson (99), Paducah, Ky.
Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill.
Austin Kirkpatrick (11), Harrisburg, N.C.
Tristan Chamberlain (20tc), Richmond, Ind.
Steven Roberts (111), Sylvester, Ga.
Tyler Millwood (31), Kingston, Ga.
Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla.
Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla.
Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif.
Ricky Weiss (7W), Headingley, Manitoba
Dustin Nobbe (5N), Batesville, Ind.
Tim McCreadie (1), Watertown, N.Y.
Cody Overton (97), Evans, Ga.
Carson Ferguson (93), Lincolnton, N.C.
Daniel Hilsabeck (22), Earlham, Iowa
Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C.
Jackson Hise (388), Ocala, Fla.
Brandon Sheppard (B5), New Berlin, Ill.
Kyle Bryant (79), Navarre, Fla.
Ryan Gustin (19r), Marshalltown, Iowa
Mike Hildebrand (39), Goshen, Ohio
Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill.
Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind.
Brad Dyer (18), Mowhawk, Tenn.
Sammy Mars (28), Menomonie, Wis.
John Henderson (2x), Aiken, S.C.
Cole Perine (c8), Lowell, Ohio
David McCoy (187), Franklin, N.C.
Trey Mills (14jr), St. Augustine, Fla.
Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C.
Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz.
Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas
Josh Rice (11), Verona, Ky.
Pierce McCarter (71), Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga.