The weekend kicks off with the completion of the Dirt Late Model Dream on Wednesday, Sep. 7
A September tradition continues at Eldora Speedway this weekend, as the DIRTcar Late Models return for 52nd World 100 Sept. 7-10.
Four nights of action are set at the “House that Earl Built,” starting with the epic conclusion of the Dirt Late Model Dream on Wednesday, Sept. 7, worth $128,000.
Drivers who haven’t won a Feature at Eldora will also have a chance to compete on Wednesday, as part of a program called “Chasing the Dream.”
For More Information: https://www.eldoraspeedway.com/event/52nd-world-100/
The traditional World 100 format begins on Thursday, Sept. 8, and Friday, Sept. 9, with Qualifying, Heat Races, and split-field 25-lap Features paying $10,000-to-win.
Points will be accumulated on both nights, setting the lineups for Eldora’s iconic six Heat Races on Saturday, Sept. 10, and the battle for $55,000 in the 52nd World 100.
TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3epLMIw
Follow live coverage and updates of everything at Eldora Speedway on all of DIRTcar’s social media channels and DIRTcar.com.
Here are some of the storylines to follow this weekend:
DREAM WARRIORS: The first order of business on World 100 weekend at Eldora is finishing the final 86 laps of this year’s Dirt Late Model Dream.
Chris Madden will lead the field back to green on Wednesday night, searching for his first Eldora crown jewel victory. The Gray Court, SC driver, led the first 14 laps of the event in June and has momentum at the track after a second-place finish in the Eldora Million.
Joining “Smokey” on the front row is defending Dirt Late Model Dream winner Brandon Overton.
A couple of drivers who are also searching for their first Eldora crown jewel triumph are Hudson O’Neal and Carson Ferguson, who will restart in row two.
Eldora Million winner Jonathan Davenport will restart in 20th when the race resumes on Wednesday.
DIRT LATE MODEL DREAM RUNNING ORDER: 1)Chris Madden, 2)Brandon Overton, 3)Hudson O’Neal, 4)Carson Ferguson, 5)Tim McCreadie, 6)Kyle Strickler, 7)Zack Dohm, 8)Chris Ferguson, 9)Kyle Bronson, 10)Gregg Satterlee, 11)Josh Rice, 12)Dale McDowell, 13)Devin Moran, 14)Brandon Sheppard, 15)Brian Shirley, 16)Tyler Erb, 17)Bobby Pierce, 18)Ricky Thornton Jr, 19)Shannon Babb, 20)Jonathan Davenport, 21)Scott Bloomquist, 22)Johnny Scott, 23)Mason Ziegler, 24)Earl Pearson Jr
SUPERMAN’S WORLD: Davenport has won more money than any other driver in 2022, adding several crown jewel victories along with his Eldora Million win.
He enters the weekend as the favorite to score his fifth World 100 victory and seventh Eldora crown jewel win.
The Blairsville, GA driver has won four of the last seven World 100s and hasn’t finished outside the top five in the previous three events.
If “Superman” scores his fifth triumph this weekend, he’ll trail only Billy Moyer in World 100 wins, who has six.
LAST SHOT AT ELDORA: Last week, Brandon Sheppard announced he would leave Rocket1 Racing at the end of this season. That means this year’s World 100 is the last chance for Sheppard to win an Eldora Crown Jewel with car owner Mark Richards.
The two scored a Dirt Late Model Dream win together in 2019 and hope to capture that magic again this weekend between the Dream and the World.
Sheppard’s best finish in the World 100 is a sixth in the 50th running of the event.
T-MAC’S REDEMPTION: Tim McCreadie narrowly missed a trip to Victory Lane in June’s Eldora Million, as a flat tire ended his bid to beat Jonathan Davenport.
Despite that heartbreak, he still showed his consistency finishing fourth.
The Watertown, NY driver will restart fifth in the Dirt Late Model Dream and knows the winning formula at Eldora in September, winning the World 100 in 2018.
A win this weekend would be “T-Mac’s” second crown jewel victory at the track.
END OF THE CURSE: Devin Moran has won at many tracks across his home state of Ohio, but one that’s eluded him and his family since 2001 is Eldora.
Since his dad Donnie won the first Eldora Million, a Moran hasn’t reached Victory Lane at “The Big E.”
Moran, from Dresden, OH, hopes to change that this weekend, building off the momentum from his third-place finish in June’s Eldora Million.
“The Mailman’s” best World 100 finish is sixth in the 51st running of the event.
THE BALLAD OF BOBBY PIERCE: A stat Bobby Pierce carries with him into every racetrack is that he’s the youngest crown jewel winning in Eldora History.
The “Smooth Operator” won the World 100 in 2016 but hasn’t finished better than 14th in the event since.
However, the Oakwood, IL driver comes into the weekend with momentum after scoring a win at Fairbury last weekend and three straight second-place finishes at Davenport Speedway last month.
Pierce will also continue his trend of special paint schemes for the event, as he’ll run another Ricky Bobby-inspired paint job this weekend.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Dirt Late Model Dream:
1994 Freddy Smith
1995 Scott Bloomquist
1996 Donnie Moran
1997 Jimmy Mars
1998 Billy Moyer
1999 Rick Eckert
2000 Freddy Smith
2001 No race
2002 Scott Bloomquist
2003 Darrell Lanigan
2004 Scott Bloomquist
2005 Matt Miller
2006 Scott Bloomquist
2007 Steve Casebolt
2008 Scott Bloomquist
2009 Jimmy Owens
2010 Billy Moyer
2011 Don O’Neal
2012 Shane Clanton
2013 Scott Bloomquist
2014 Dale McDowell
2015 Jonathan Davenport
2016 Dennis Erb Jr.
2017 Scott Bloomquist
2018 Scott Bloomquist
2019 Brandon Sheppard
2020 Brandon Overton
2021 Brandon Overton
World 100:
1971 Bruce Gould
1972 Verlin Eaker
1973 Floyd Gilbert
1974 Ed Sanger
1975 Joe Merryfield
1976 Charles Hughes
1977 Doug Kenimer
1978 Ken Walton
1979 Larry Moore
1980 Charlie Swartz
1981 Larry Moore
1982 Mike Duvall
1983 Jeff Purvis
1984 Jeff Purvis
1985 Larry Moore
1986 Jeff Purvis
1987 Randy Boggs
1988 Scott Bloomquist
1989 Donnie Moran
1990 Scott Bloomquist
1991 Billy Moyer
1992 Donnie Moran
1993 Billy Moyer
1994 Billy Moyer
1995 Jack Boggs
1996 Donnie Moran
1997 Donnie Moran
1998 Billy Moyer
1999 Steve Francis
2000 Billy Moyer
2001 Scott Bloomquist
2002 Brian Birkhofer
2003 Dan Schleiper
2004 Chub Frank
2005 Dale McDowell
2006 Earl Pearson, Jr
2007 Jimmy Owens
2008 Shane Clanton
2009 Bart Hartman
2010 Billy Moyer
2011 Jimmy Owens
2012 Brian Birkhofer
2013 John Blankenship
2014 Scott Bloomquist
2015 Jonathan Davenport
2016 Bobby Pierce
2017 Jonathan Davenport
2018 Tim McCreadie
2019 Jonathan Davenport
2020 Jonathan Davenport
2021 Brandon Overton
TRACK RECORD
Eldora Speedway:
14.761 by Brandon Sheppard in October 2018