Batesville Motor Speedway
Topless 100: Blog-style updates from Sunday's action
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com chief writerLOCUST GROVE, Ark. (Aug. 22) — The 100-lap feature is scheduled for Sunday at Batesville Motor Speedway in the rain-postponed 18th annual Comp Cams Topless 100. Sunday's updates at the $40,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series may be sporadic because of spotty Internet access and other issues:
3:39 p.m.: Landers outduels Pearson for victory
Jared Landers lost the lead to Earl Pearson Jr. on lap 95, then fought back to lead the last three laps amid traffic.
3:35 p.m.: Landers takes lead on lap 84
Jared Landers took the point from Scott Bloomquist on a lap-83 restart and was in control three laps later when Don O'Neal slowed to draw a caution. Pearson is second followed by Owens, Phillipos and Brady Smith. Bloomquist pitted during the yellow.
3:28 p.m.: Madden slows lap 83
Chris Madden lost second to Jared Landers on the restart, then slowed after losing a few more spots. That leaves leader Scott Bloomquist as the only driver who hasn't pitted. Jared Landers looks strong in second followed by Earl Pearson Jr., Jimmy Owens, Terry Phillips, Brady Smith, Jon Mitchell, Jonathan Davenport, Dan Schlieper and Dale McDowell in 10th.
3:22 p.m.: Moyer slows lap 81
Tire wear, as predicted, is everything. Billy Moyer slowed running 10th to draw a caution. Ray Cook, running the top three most of the race, got shuffled back after the lap-78 restart and pitted during the lap-81 yellow. Scott BLoomquist still leads Chris Madden, a master of tire management in many years of racing at Cherokee Speedway. Jared Landers is up to fourth followed by Earl Pearson Jr. and Jimmy Owens. Bub McCool, who had taken second from Madden just before the caution appeared, pitted late in the caution period with a flat righ rear. He was among the earliest drivers to pit.
3:18 p.m.: Payne slows lap 78
Third-running Jeremy Payne lost three spots on the lap-76 restart and slowed; he pitted for a new right rear tire. That leaves just three drivers who haven't pitted: Bloomquist, Madden and Cook in the top three. Bub McCool is up to fourth and Jared Landers is back to fifth. Steve Casebolt gave up a top-10 spot for pit for rubber under the yellow. Earl Pearson Jr. is sixth, Jimmy Owens, seventh, Terry Phillips eighth, Shannon Babb ninth and Billy Moyer 10th.
3:12 p.m.: Madden, Bloomquist swap lead
Chris Madden took the point from Bloomquist after the lap-56 restart, but Bloomquist roared back ahead on lap 61 to lead. A lap-76 yellow is out for a slowing Dale McDowell, who appears to have a flat right-rear tire. The only drivers who haven't pitted for rubber among those in contention are the top four: Bloomquist, Madden, Payne and Cook. Bub McCool is fifth followed by Jared Landers, Steve Casebolt, Earl Pearson Jr., and Terry Phillips. No contenders pitted during the yellow.
3:03 p.m.: Schlieper draws lap-56 yellow
Dan Schlieper got too high in turns three and four and slowed to draw a caution at lap-56. Bloomquist leads, but the cars that have pitted for rubber are charging forward. Billy Moyer ducked into the pits under caution as did Davenport for the second time. The rundown: Bloomquist, Madden, Payne, Cook, McCool (fresh rubber), Earl Pearson Jr. (fresh rubber), Jared Landers (fresh rubber). Don O'Neal, who led early and was running third, decided to come in after a few caution laps.
2:58 p.m.: Lap-52 caution for Mitchell
Scott Bloomquist took the lead from Chris Madden just before the halfway point and was in command with Jon Mitchell stopped exiting turn two. Among cars pitting for tires: McDowell, Davenport (the highest-running car to pit), Mitchell, Brady Smith and Jared Landers. Wendell Wallace is apparently heading to the pits. The lap-52 rundown: Bloomquist, Madden, O'Neal (appears to be struggling a bit), Cook, Payne, Babb, Moyer and Schlieper. After that it's McCool, Owens, Pearson, Wells and Casebolt.
2:54 p.m.: Madden takes lead on lap 44
Just before Wendell Wallace slowed to draw a caution, Chris Madden ducked under Don O'Neal on the backstretch to lead lap 44. Madden had taken second from Bloomquist on the previous restart and now leads O'Neal, Bloomquist, Davenport and Cook.
2:48 p.m.: Cliburn stops for lap-42 yellow
The pit stops have begun after a lap-42 yellow for Jason Cliburn, who stopped exiting turn two. Jimmy Owens (who was midpack after starting 23rd), Earl Pearson Jr., Eric Wells, Bub McCool, Chris Wall, Steve Casebolt and Terry Phillips were among those getting fresh rubber. A dozen crew members from other teams rushed over to Owens to see how his right-rear tire was wearing. Don O'Neal leads followed by Scott Bloomquist (who slowed so his crew could check his tire wear), Chris Madden, Ray Cook, Jonathan Davenport, Jon Mitchell, Jeremy Payne, Shannon Babb, Dan Schlieper, Wendell Wallace and Billy Moyer. The rest of the field: Hollingsworth, B. Smith, McDowell, Owens, McCool and the rest of the cars that pitted.
2:45 p.m.: O'Neal leads amid traffic
The frontrunners are working traffic with most drivers running single file. The top three of O'Neal, Bloomquist and Madden are virtually nose-to-tail with Cook just behind. It's a straightaway back to Davenport, who is trying to fight of Jared Landers on lap 39.
2:43 p.m.: Lap-25 rundown
O'Neal still leads with Bloomquist up to second after moving from fourth to the runner-up spot between laps 18-21, taking spots from Ray Cook and Chris Madden.
2:34 p.m.: Lap-17 caution for Wall
Chris Wall drew a lap-17 caution. The rundown: O'Neal, Madden, Cook, Bloomquist, Davenport, Landers, Mitchell, Hollingsworth, Payne Wallace, Babb, Schlieper, Moyer.
2:27 p.m.: Four-wide parade lap
Following the four-wide parade lap, drivers are set to go with Chris Madden and Don O'Neal on the front row.
2:05 p.m.: Cars rolling onto the track
The 35 starters are rolling onto the frontstretch in anticipation of the 100-lapper. We should be minutes away from a green flag as the track plans to allow a few interviews for the taped television coverage and then polesitter Chris Madden will lead the field into turn one.
1:45 p.m. More details about May biggie
Mooney Starr's plan for a race where second place pays more ($20,000) than first ($10,000) is clearer with the revelation of the gimmick that makes it work: The winner gets a new 2011 Chevrolet Camaro. Not only that, but 26 tickets will be drawn among fans who are paired with drivers, and the fan paired with the winning driver receives a 2011 Ford Mustang. Starr's confident that will bring out a huge crowd for the still unnamed race, which is tentatively scheduled for May 20-21. "That's who's going to love it," Starr said pointing toward his hillside grandstand, "when they get a chance to win a new car." Starr plans to reveal final details for the race Oct. 1.
1:42 p.m.: Race set for 2 p.m. start
Batesville has scrapped the modified feature and promoter Mooney Starr plans to start the race shortly after 2 p.m. There'll be no Late Model hot laps, no driver introductions, only a few minutes for Speed reporters to do a few pre-race interviews. Then the 100-lapper should get under way.
Correction: Fixes that Landers didn't pit on lap 42; other minor fixes.
