Eldora Speedway
39th annual World 100 fast facts
ROSSBURG, Ohio — Details about the 39th World 100, Dirt Late Model racing's most prestigious event:
Dates: Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11-12
Site: Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio
Purse: $42,000 to winner and at least $1,605 to all 28 starters
2008 winner: Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., overtook race-long leader Jimmy Owens on the 57th lap and led the rest of the way for his first World 100 victory.
Format: Friday's time trials are followed by heat races, two B-Mains and the 100-lap main event on Saturday.
Sanctioning body: UMP DIRTcar Racing non-touring points and rules event
Track: The 55-year-old dirt oval, founded by Earl Baltes and sold to two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart in 2004, is a half-mile dirt oval with 24-degree banking in turns, 8-degrees on straightaways that holds more than 23,000 fans.
Notes: Last year's event drew 175 cars, only the second time in memory the car count was below 200 cars. ... Among this year's favorites are Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y. (seven victories in his last 11 World of Outlaws Late Model Series starts), Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. (three victories of $30,000 or more in 2009) and Jimmy Owens (fourth or better in his last four crown jewel starts at Eldora, including victories in both the World 100 and Dream). ... UMP DIRTcar officials are putting a special emphasis on policing tires that have been chemically softened, which is illegal; Eldora has promised stiff penalties for anyone caught. ... This year's World 100 was preceded by the rain-postponed Prelude to the Dream, an all-star race for charity won for the third time by Tony Stewart. ... The World 100 has had nine different winners since 2000, which Billy Moyer won the most recent of his record-setting five victories.
Hot laps: Quick sessions beginning at 6 p.m. Friday are the only practice of the weekend.
Time trials: Two complete rounds of single-lap time trials on Friday with the fast qualifier drawing to set a heat-race inversion of three, four, five or six cars; the top two qualifiers are guaranteed 10th-row starting spots in the main event. The top 120 qualifiers are locked into the six Saturday night heat races.
Heat races: Starting Saturday at 7 p.m., six 15-lap prelims advance the top three drivers to the main event with the sixth heat winner heading for the pole of the main event. Finishers 4-11 go to B-Mains while finishers 12th on back are through for the weekend.
B-Mains: The top four in each of two consolation races transfer to the main event to fill rows 11-14 in the 28-car starting field. Drivers fifth on back are through for the weekend.
Main event: 100 laps of green-flag racing with no fuel stop.
World 100 purse
28. $1,605
Past winners
Year: Winner, hometown
2008: Shane Clanton, Locust Grove, Ga.
2007: Jimmy Owens, Newport, Tenn.
2006: Earl Pearson Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.
2005: Dale McDowell, Rossville, Ga.
2004: Chub Frank, Bear Lake, Pa.
2003: Dan Schlieper, Pewaukee, Wis.
2002: Brian Birkhofer, Muscatine, Iowa
2001: Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
2000: Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
1999: Steve Francis, Ashland, Ky.
1998: Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
1997: Donnie Moran, Dresden, Ohio
1996: Donnie Moran, Dresden, Ohio
1995: Jack Boggs, Grayson, Ky.
1994: Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
1993: Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
1992: Donnie Moran, Frazeysburg, Ohio
1991: Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark.
1990: Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
1989: Donnie Moran, Frazeysburg, Ohio
1988: Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.
1987: Randy Boggs, Grayson, Ky.
1986: Jeff Purvis, Clarksville, Tenn.
1985: Larry Moore, Dayton, Ohio
1984: Jeff Purvis, Clarksville, Tenn.
1983: Jeff Purvis, Clarksville, Tenn.
1982. Mike Duvall, Gaffney, S.C.
1981: Larry Moore, Dayton, Ohio
1980: Charlie Swartz, Lucasville, Ohio
1979: Larry Moore, Dayton, Ohio
1978: Ken Walton, Viola, Iowa
1977: Doug Kenimer, Dalton, Ga.
1976: Charles Hughes, Dalton, Ga.
1975: Joe Merryfield, Des Moines, Iowa
1974: Ed Sanger, Waterloo, Iowa
1973: Floyd Gilbert, Lockland, Ohio
1972: Verlin Eaker, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
1971: Bruce Gould, Milford, Ohio
