Volunteer Speedway
Pearson fills Gap with $10,000 Lucas Oil win
From track and series reports
Earl Pearson Jr. earned $10,000. (mrmracing.net)
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (July 5) — Ending a three-month victory drought on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, points leader Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., overtook fast qualifier Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., with eight laps remaining to win the Toyota Tundra 60 at Volunteer Speedway. Pearson earned $10,000 for his first career victory at the high-banked, 4/10-mile east Tennessee oval. | Slideshow
"It's been a long time coming," the 36-year-old Pearson said in victory lane. "Our crew has worked their rear ends off. It's been an up-and-down season. I've flipped, got knocked out and broke my wrist. This is the car that (team owner) Bobby (Labonte) drove in the Prelude, and it ran so good I think I'll just keep on racing this car so maybe I won't give it back to him to drive."
Dale McDowell of Rossville, Ga., who started outside the front row and led the first 15 laps, finished second. Chad Ogle of Sevierville, Tenn., finished third in his first series start while Rick Rogers of Knoxville, Tenn., and Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio, rounded out the top five. Two top contenders, Owens and Volunteer veteran Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., weren't around at the finish.
Owens tangled with a lapped car just after losing the lead to Pearson and the resulting damage knocked him out of the race. Bloomquist, the winningest driver in Lucas Oil Series history was running second on a lap-36 restart when he got too high in turn one, sliding into the wall and triggering a multicar accident.
At the outset of the 60-lapper, Rogers and McDowell started on the front row with McDowell taking command over Owens and Rogers. Owens closed in on McDowell amid lapped traffic, pulled up on his rear deck and taking the point on lap 16.
Owens edged away and at the race's midpoint he led Bloomquist, McDowell, Chris Madden and Rogers, and a few laps later Bloomquist took the second spot from McDowell and was all over the leading Owens. Madden's smoking car apparently began dropping fluids on the 36th lap, causing a shuffle up front and drawing a caution as Madden pulled to the infield.
On the restart, Bloomquist hopped the cushion and slid into the turn-one wall with the right front of his car.� Bloomquist's car slid down the track just enough to make contact with Dan Schlieper's machine, and both cars were done for the night along two others collected, Joe Armes and Brad Neat.
Owens went back to work out front with Pearson now up to third. Pearson took the second spot from McDowell on the 37th lap but couldn't get within striking distance of Owens, who appeared to be in control with 15 laps remaining. But Pearson whittled down the lead in the ensuing laps and was challenging in the final 10 circuits. On lap 52, Owens slid up entering turn four and Pearson got inside the leader. With the frontrunners battling with the lapped car of Shane Roberts, as well, Pearson slipped into the lead while Owens made contact with the slower machine, bounding his No. 20 briefly into the air and knocking him out of the race. Pearson led the rest of the way for his 12th career series victory.
Notes: Pearson's Bobby Labonte Racing MasterSbilt Race Car has a Larry Wallace Racing Engine and sponsorship from LifeLong Locks, Lucas Oil Products and Sunoco Race Fuels. ... Former Dirt Track World Champion John Mason of Millersburg, Ohio, suffered a concussion in a consolation race accident. Mason's car hit hard on the frontstretch, knocking one of the wheels of his No. 72. He was taken to a Greeneville, Tenn., hospital complaining of arm and neck pain, but X-rays proved negative. A CAT scan revealed the concussion, and he was released from the hospital later. ... Provisional starter Billy Drake took the PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger honors with his 24th-to-11th run. ... The series heads back over to Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway, where Friday rains postponed the Toyota Knoxville 75 until Sunday, July 6.
Lucas Oil @ Volunteer: (1) Earl Pearson Jr., (2) Dale McDowell, (3) Chad Ogle, (4) Rick Rogers, (5) Bart Hartman, (6) Shanon Buckingham, (7) Tommy Kerr, (8) Vic Hill, (9) Ray Cook, (10) Mark Vineyard, (11) Billy Drake, (12) Steve Casebolt, (13) John Gill, (14) Shane Roberts, (15) Michael Smith, (16) Justin Rattliff, (17) Jimmy Owens, (18) Bryan Hendrix, (19) Brad Neat, (20) Scott Bloomquist, (21) Dan Schlieper, (22) Joe Armes, (23) Chris Madden, (24) Billy Ogle Jr. Fast qualifier (among 44 cars): Owens, 12.298 seconds. Heat race winners: Owens, McDowell, Bloomquist, Rogers. Consolation winners: Kerr, Schlieper. Provisional starters: Casebolt, Drake.
