TAMPA, FL (February 8, 2016) – On Monday Night at East Bay Raceway Park, Josh Richards continued his recent hot streak by winning his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event this season. Richards started ninth and charged to the front, taking the lead on lap 20 from Jimmy Owens.
Owens came home second, followed by Jared Landers, Tim Dohm, and Tim McCreadie.
“What a great start to the season! I would like to thank everybody on the crew. The track was really good tonight. It was back to the typical East Bay racing. It was slimy to start with and it worked in quite nicely. Starting ninth, I knew it was going to be a chore to get to the front. We had some cautions there early on, but once the race settled down it was really competitive.”
“A big thanks to Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Integra, Sunoco, Ace Metal Works, Petroff Towing, Sallack Well Services, Keyser, Hoosier Tires, and Durham Racing Engines.” It was the fifth career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win for the 27-year-old driver at East Bay.
Owens led the first 19 laps and was looking for the first win for his new team, R&W Motorsports. A classic slide job by Richards for the lead with five laps to go ended those hopes. “We had a really good car here tonight. We had a really good car yesterday at Golden Isles before getting in a mishap. We were pretty much stuck to the top tonight, and that’s fine. The track was really racy all night.”
Owens, who entered the event with two career wins at the “Clay by the Bay,” thought he could hold on for the win tonight. “Those cautions early on certainly hurt our momentum; just as soon as we were starting to pull away, a yellow would come out. I thought I was going to be ok until Josh got by me in turn four. I want to thank E3 Spark Plugs, Red Line OiI, Sunoco; Lance and Barry Wright; and R&W Racing.”
Landers continues his impressive string of top five finishes coming home in third in the East Bay opener. “We are going to get a win soon. This car [Sweet-Bloomquist] is just a joy to drive. Jason, [Durham] my crew chief, and everybody on the team are working hard to keep us up front. It was a good race, we could run side-by-side out there with anybody. I would also like to thank Crop Production Services, Mark Martin Automotive, ASC Warranty, and everybody else for all of their support.”
Completing the top ten were Brian Shirley, Steve Francis, Ricky Weiss, Eddie Carrier Jr., and Kyle Bronson.
In preliminary action, Jonathan Davenport set the overall Miller Welders Fast Time (Group B) amongst the 35 entrants, with a lap of 14.957 seconds. Tim Dohm set the fastest time in Group A with a time of 15.307 seconds. Tim Dohm, Mike Marlar, Jimmy Owens, and Billy Moyer Jr. won their respective heat races. Brandon Sheppard and Earl Pearson Jr. won their respective B-Mains. John Gardner earned the Miller Welders Fast Time Provisional and Chad Hollenbeck won the DirtOnDirt.com Strawberry Dash.
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Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Monday, February 8th, 2016
40th Annual East Bay Winternationals
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Miller Welders Fast Time Group A: Tim Dohm / 15.307 seconds
Miller Welders Fast Time Group B: Jonathan Davenport / 14.957 seconds
Eibach Springs Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Tim Dohm , Jared Landers, Josh Richards, Ricky Weiss, Gregg Satterlee, Bobby Pierce, Sonny Conley, Chuck Julien, Jake Davis-DNS
FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Mike Marlar, Brian Shirley, Randy Weaver, Kyle Bronson, Brandon Sheppard, Alex Ferree, Colton Flinner, Josh Rice, James McKeown
Simpson Performance Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Jimmy Owens, Tim McCreadie, Dennis Erb, Jr., Steve Francis, Jonathan Davenport, Allen Murray, John Gardner, Chad Hollenbeck, Freddie Carpenter-DNS
QA1 Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Billy Moyer, Jr., Eddie Carrier, Jr., Devin Moran, Greg Oaks, Earl Pearson, Jr., Justin Rattliff, Nick Davis, Bob Gardner
Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Brandon Sheppard, Alex Ferree, Gregg Satterlee, Bobby Pierce, Josh Rice, Colton Flinner, Chuck Julien, James McKeown, Sonny Conley, Jake Davis-DNS
Keyser MFG B-Main #2 Finish 10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Earl Pearson, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Allen Murray, Justin Rattliff, Nick Davis, Chad Hollenbeck, John Gardner, Bob Gardner, Freddie Carpenter-DNS
DirtOnDirt.com Strawberry Dash Finish (Winner Transfers): Chad Hollenbeck, Josh Rice, Freddie Carpenter, Colton Flinner, Nick Davis, Bob Gardner
Feature Finish (25 Laps):
FINISH START CAR # DRIVER NAME HOMETOWN
1 9 1R Josh Richards Shinnston, WV
2 2 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN
3 5 777 Jared Landers Batesville, AR
4 1 6T Tim Dohm Charleston, WV
5 6 39 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY
6 7 3s Brian Shirley Chatham, IL
7 14 15F Steve Francis Ashland, KY
8 13 7w Ricky Weiss Headingley, MB
9 8 28 Eddie Carrier, Jr. Salt Rock, WV
10 15 40B Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL
11 3 157 Mike Marlar Winfield, TN
12 10 28e Dennis Erb, Jr. Carpentersville, IL
13 17 B5 Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL
14 12 99m Devin Moran Dresden, OH
15 24 16 Justin Rattliff Campbellsville, KY
16 23 32 Bobby Pierce Oakwood, IL
17 16 22x Greg Oaks Franklinville, NY
18 19 47 Alex Ferree Valencia, PA
19 18 1 Earl Pearson, Jr. Jacksonville, FL
20 21 22 Gregg Satterlee Rochester Mills, PA
21 4 21jr Billy Moyer, Jr. Batesville, AR
22 11 116 Randy Weaver Crossville, TN
23 20 25Z Jonathan Davenport Mount Airy, NC
24 25 38C John Gardner Germantown Hills, IL
25 22 2M Allen Murray San Antonio, TX
26 26 4-Ds Chad Hollenbeck Montrose, PA
Race Statistics
Entrants: 35
Lap Leaders: Jimmy Owens (laps 1 – 19); Josh Richards (Laps 20 25)
Cautions: Devin Moran (Lap 1); Allen Murray, Bobby Pierce (Lap 3); Billy Moyer Jr. (Lap 10)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: n/a
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Emergency Provisionals: n/a
Miller Welders Fast Time Provisional: John Gardner
Wrisco Feature Winner: Josh Richards
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Justin Rattliff (Started: 24th; Finished: 15th; Advanced 9 Positions)
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Josh Richards
Allstar Performance Power Move of the Race: Brandon Sheppard
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Josh Richards
Hot Rod Processing Rookie of the Race: n/a
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Andy Durham Racing Engines
Ohlins Shocks Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket Chassis
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Lance Wright (Jimmy Owens)
Fastest Lap of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Lap #5 – 15.2683 seconds)
Most Laps Led: Jimmy Owens (19 Laps)
PFC Brakes Tough Break Award: Chad Hollenbeck
Time of Race: 20 minutes 56 seconds
Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:
POS CAR # DRIVER NAME HOMETOWN POINTS
1 1R Josh Richards Shinnston, WV 500
2 6 Jonathan Davenport Mount Airy, NC 460
3 777 Jared Landers Batesville, AR 450
4 B5 Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL 420
5 28 Eddie Carrier, Jr. Salt Rock, WV 405
6 39 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY 395
7 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN 385
8 44 Chris Madden Gaffney, SC 380
9 15L Darrell Lanigan Union, KY 370
10 28e Dennis Erb, Jr. Carpentersville, IL 360
11 99m Devin Moran Dresden, OH 355
12 15F Steve Francis Ashland, KY 345
13 3s Brian Shirley Chatham, IL 320
14 1 Earl Pearson, Jr. Jacksonville, FL 305
14 38 Kenny PettyJohn Millsboro, DE 305
16 21jr Billy Moyer, Jr. Batesville, AR 290
17 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN 285
18 21L Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. Ocala, FL 280
18 25Z Mason Zeigler Chalk Hill, PA 280
20 5 Don O’Neal Martinsville, IN 275
21 116 Randy Weaver Crossville, TN 265
22 5W Mark Whitener Middleburg, FL 260
23 18 Chase Junghans Manhattan, KS 245
24 157 Mike Marlar Winfield, TN 240
25 1G Ryan King Seymour, TN 230
25 93 Donald Bradsher Burlington, NC 230
*Points are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day*