East Bay Raceway Park
Polesitting T-Mac goes for two in row at East Bay
By Roby Helm
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
Tim McCreadie (101) will start on Saturday's pole at East Bay. (ricksdarkroom.com)
GIBSONTON, Fla. (Dec. 10) — Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., will start on the pole position for Saturday's $10,000-to-win NeSmith Chevrolet World Championship at East Bay Raceway Park. Last year's race winner was Friday's fast qualifier and won the first heat race in the Image Skin Care Rocket.
Qualifying and four 15-lap heat races set the first 16 starting spots for Saturday night’s 100-lapper. Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., won the second heat race and will start outside of McCreadie in the front row driving the Barry Wright Race Cars house car.
The 2010 East Bay champion Bryan Bernhardt of Clearwater, Fla., won the third heat race and will start the big show from inside row two. Jeff Smith of Chatsworth, Ga., starts the main event from the outside of the second row after winning the fourth heat.
After winning the race last year, McCreadie picked up where he left off, as he was the fast qualifier among the 44 entrants with a lap around the third-mile clay oval in 16.197 seconds to earn the pole position for the first heat race. McCreadie led wire-to-wire to win the first heat and earn the pole position.
The top four finishers in each heat race earned a starting spot in the big show. Jack Nosbisch Jr. of Riverview, Fla., Travis Varnadore of Valrico, Fla., and Hall of Fame driver Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn., finished second through fourth in the first heat.
Joining Davenport in transferring to the main event out of the second heat race were Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, W.Va., Jeff Mathews of Dover, Fla., and Rodney Wing of Meridian, Miss.
Second through fourth in the third heat were Dennis Franklin of Gaffney, S.C., Phillip Cobb of Riverview, Fla., and Doug Watson of Lithia, Fla.
Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., Shan Smith of Dade City, Fla., and Steve Mathis of Plant City, Fla., followed Jeff Smith under the checkered flag in the fourth heat.
Drivers finishing fifth through 11th in their respective heat races on Friday night will have another opportunity to make the 24-car starting field through one of two 20-lap consolation races on Saturday night. The top three finishers in each consolation race will fill in starting positions 17 through 22.
Saturday's feature lineup
Row 12: Provisional starters
