Winchester Speedway
Pearson triumphs in first visit to Winchester
By James Essex
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Pearson cruises to victory. (Clifford Dove)
WINCHESTER, Va. (Aug. 1) — Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., extended his Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series points lead by capturing his third series event of the season at Winchester Speedway. Pearson overtook Donnie Moran on the fourth lap and led the rest of the 40-lapper to earn $7,000 in the first-ever series event at the 3/8-mile oval. | Slideshow
"I didn't know what was going to happen in the feature after the heat races," said Pearson, who made his first appearance at the historic oval. "Everybody was running around on the bottom and I guess we were bound and determined to make the middle to top groove work and it did, fortunately for us."
Moran, of Dresden, Ohio, ran second most of the race before losing two spots in the final two laps. Consolation race winner Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., rallied from 18th to finish second followed by 12th-starting Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky. Moran and Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind., rounded out the top five.
A turn-four pileup at the outset involved several cars and knocked fourth-starting Terry Casey out of the race. Casey's departure moved Pearson from sixth to fourth for the next start attempt, and he took advantage to jump all over Moran early in the race. Pearson used his middle groove to pull even with Moran on the third lap, then he took command a lap later and stretched his margin to six lengths before Booper Bare's turn-two spin brought out a lap-10 caution. Another caution for the slowing car of Darryl Hills appeared six laps later, putting Moran and Justin Rattliff just behind Pearson for a restart.
But Pearson zipped away and had a 10-length lead at the race's midpoint with Moran, Rattliff, Casebolt and Francis futilely pursuing the leader. Rattliff slowed on the backstretch and pulled out of the race on the 32nd lap while Owens� made his way through the top five. In the waning laps, Owens took second from Moran on lap 38, and Francis dropped Moran back another spot a lap later.
Notes: Pearson's Bobby Labonte Motorsports team has a MasterSbilt Race Car with a Larry Wallace-built Mopar engine and sponsorship from LifeLong Locks, Lucas Oil Products and Sunoco Race Fuels. ... Among drivers failing to make the feature: Dan Stone, Ronnie DeHaven Jr., John Mason and Jeremy Miller. ... Lucas Oil competitors wrap up a three-race weekend with a Saturday race at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.
Lucas Oil @ Winchester: (1) Earl Pearson Jr., (2) Jimmy Owens, (3) Steve Francis, (4) Donnie Moran, (5) Steve Casebolt, (6) Jamie Lathroum, (7) Billy Drake, (8) Andy Anderson, (10) Wayne Chinn, (11) D.J. Myers, (12) Bart Hartman, (13) Jason Covert, (14) Gary Stuhler, (15) Josh Richards, (16) Booper Bare, (17) Scott James, (18) Ricky Elliott, (19) Freddy Smith, (20) David Williams, (21) Justin Rattliff, (22) Darryl Hills, (23) Dan Schlieper, (24) Terry Casey, (25) Walter Crouch, (26) Gerald Davis. Fast qualifier (among 47 cars): Elliott, 16.189 seconds. Heat race winners: Lathroum, Casey, Rattliff, Moran. Consolation winners: Bare, Owens. Provisional starters: F. Smith, Chinn, Davis.
