McCreadie Pockets $20,000 for Volunteer Speedway Scorcher 100

BULLS GAP, TN (August 21, 2009) - Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., moved to the point when race leader Don O’Neal broke a rear j-bar on lap 78, and once out front he would not be denied a crowd-pleasing victory in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series $20,000-to-win sixth annual Scorcher 100 - “A Salute to America’s Coal Miners!” on Thursday night at Volunteer Speedway.

 

Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN finished second to maintain his series points lead. Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN finished third to move into second place in points. He was followed by Chris Madden of Gaffney, SC who placed fourth with Ray Cook of Brasstown, NC taking home fifth.

 

Steve Casebolt and McCreadie started on the front row of the 100 lap event as McCreadie grabbed the lead at the start with O'Neal coming from fourth to second on the opening circuit. McCreadie and O'Neal were setting a blistering pace around the high banks as they entered traffic by the eighth circuit. O'Neal closed right in on the doorstep of McCreadie's mount on lap eleven and then a lap later the two came across the scoring line side-by-side. O'Neal made the pass for the lead a lap later taking over the point for the first time officially in the race.

 

With 15 laps in the books, it was O'Neal in front followed by McCreadie, Jimmy Owens, Casebolt and Joe Armes. The race was going along smoothly until Tommy Kerr slowed coming off of turn number four bringing out the first caution of the event. On the restart O'Neal quickly distanced himself from McCreadie bolting to a three-car length lead over McCreadie.

 

On lap 24, 4-time series champion Earl Pearson, Jr. slowed and dropped out of the race while running in seventh with a broken rear end. The race stayed green as Pearson exited the track off of turn number two. O'Neal was maintaining a solid lead as McCreadie was comfortably in second as the two re-entered heavy traffic with 30 laps scored.

 

At the 38 lap mark the top four were all together now on the track as they were dicing through traffic as O'Neal, McCreadie, Owens and Bloomquist just as the race was starting to get very interesting in the race for the lead the third caution flew for Eric Jacobsen with 45 complete.

 

On the restart a three car wreck between the fifth place running Casebolt, Ray Cook and Kerr slowed the field momentarily. On the restart O'Neal was still strong out front leading McCreadie, Bloomquist, Owens and Mike Marlar, who was now fifth after starting 18th.

 

By the 60th circuit O'Neal started to enter traffic once more as the event entered a long stretch of green flag racing. The top five remained evenly spaced out and with 25 laps to go O'Neal still was looking like the car to beat. A fateful lap 78, O'Neal broke his j-bar in turn number two as he slowed and took his car to the infield ending a tremendous as his night on the sidelines with a DNF.

 

McCreadie then inherited the lead after O'Neal's departure and with 22 laps to go in the race all he had to do was hold off Bloomquist and Owens, which is no easy task. While two cautions in the final 22 circuits kept Bloomquist and Owens close for a while, McCreadie would pull after the final caution on lap 84 and go on for his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series of the year as he became the 20th different winner in 32 races this year.

 

In the Lucas Oil Victory Lane, McCreadie was thankful for the opportunity to race again following his injuries at the Chili Bowl back in January. "Man I can't thank the fans enough for their support when I was hurt, it's been a frustrating road to get here, but I feel we have turned the corner. Running 100 laps around this high banked track is tough not only on the body but the car as well, but the track was in great shape tonight. Thanks to my crew they did a great job with the car. I feel bad for Don O'Neal and MasterSbilt they had a great car tonight and he was just running off with this thing until he broke. I want to thank Rocket Chassis, Pro Power Engines and everybody else for their help, thanks for everyone coming out tonight," said the 35-year-old racer who also has sponsorship from Sweeteners Plus, Integra Racing Shocks, VP Racing Fuels, Hoosier Tires and Coffey-McCreadie Enterprises Inc.

 

Bloomquist finished second to stretch his lead to 235 points in his Miller Brothers Coal/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars Monte Carlo SS. Owens was third in his Mike Reece/Reece Monument Company/Bloomquist Race Cars Ford Fusion as he took over second place in the points ahead of Pearson.

 

Madden in his Century Plastics/Xtreme Customs and Cycles/Bloomquist Race Cars entry came home fourth followed by Cook, who recovered from a lap 45 altercation to earn the PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race by coming home fifth in the D&R Racing/Hicks and Ingle Company General Contractors/MasterSbilt Race Cars entry.

 

Completing the top ten were Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN; Austin Dillon of Lewisville, NC; Vic Hill of Morristown, TN; Eric Jacobsen of Seacliffe Beach, CA; and Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, GA.

 

Jerry Broyles of Jonesborough captured his third “Courtesy Chevrolet/Reece Monument Co.” Pro Late Model feature win of the season. Broyles grabbed the lead on the opening lap over Vic Chandler, Bobby Mays, Anthony White and Tony Trent.

While Mays was pressuring Chandler for the runner-up spot, 10 laps into the 25-lap event Broyles held an eight car-length advantage over his closest challengers. Caution waved on lap 13 when Jensen Ford and Heath Alvey got together on the front straightaway.

 

Going back green Broyles had a rearview mirror full of Chandler, with Mays, White and Trent in tow. Lap 14 racing off turn two Dale Ball got around Trent to move into fifth. The battle for second had Chandler and Mays racing around the high banks side-by-side. Ball continued his move towards the front, passing White on lap 17 to move into fourth in the running order.

With Broyles showing the way out front with reservations booked for victory lane, Mays finally got around Chandler for second racing off the fourth turn to take the white flag. What looked to be a second place run for Mays almost saw him crash as he got sideways racing off turn two on the backstretch, allowing Chandler, Ball, White and Trent to get past while he reeled his mount in to finish sixth.

 

Ray Jarnigan of Thornhill captured his fourth “McDonald’s” Hobby Stock feature win of the season, with Chuck Johnson, Dustin Shaver, Jamie Whitt and Jesse Helton rounding out the top five at the checkered flag.

 

LUCAS OIL LATE MODEL DIRT SERIES – SIXTH ANNUAL SCORCHER 100 – “A SALUTE TO AMERICA’S COAL MINERS!” – AUGUST 19-20, 2009