{"id":12058,"date":"2012-06-09T00:05:21","date_gmt":"2012-06-09T05:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/100.24.212.105\/?p=12058"},"modified":"2023-08-08T16:53:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T20:53:10","slug":"pearson-blazes-to-fast-time-during-friday-night-qualifying-for-dirt-late-model-dream-by-ferris-commercial-mowers-at-eldora-speedway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dirtcar.com\/divisions\/late-models\/pearson-blazes-to-fast-time-during-friday-night-qualifying-for-dirt-late-model-dream-by-ferris-commercial-mowers-at-eldora-speedway\/","title":{"rendered":"Pearson Blazes To Fast Time During Friday-Night Qualifying For Dirt Late Model Dream by Ferris Commercial Mowers At Eldora Speedway"},"content":{"rendered":"
ROSSBURG, OH \u2013 June 8, 2012 \u2013 Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., kicked off the 18th<\/sup> Dirt Late Model Dream by Ferris Commercial Mowers in fine fashion on Friday night, topping the 98-car field with the fastest lap in time trials at Eldora Speedway.<\/p>\n The 40-year-old standout ripped off a lap of 15.476 seconds to start the second round of qualifying, vaulting him past first-round fast qualifier Don O\u2019Neal of Martinsville, Ind. Pearson\u2019s time held up for the remainder of the session, putting him in the spotlight on opening night of the prestigious $100,000-to-win DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned event.<\/p>\n \u201cI was worried about O\u2019Neal when he put that first lap down,\u201d said Pearson, who timed second to O\u2019Neal in the first round of qualifying. \u201cI figured he\u2019d come out that second lap and beat that, so we\u2019re happy to end up with fast time.\u201d<\/p>\n Pearson was also smiling after spinning a \u20183\u2019 on the invert wheel, providing him the best possible starting position in his heat race on Saturday night. He will take the green flag from inside row two in the first of six 15-lap preliminaries, each of which transfers three drivers to the 100-lap Dream A-Main.<\/p>\n A former World 100 winner who drives a Longhorn Chassis for NASCAR veteran Bobby Labonte, Pearson will attempt to start the seventh Dream 100 of his career. He owns a top finish of fifth (2005) in the race that offers the dirt Late Model division\u2019s richest first-place prize.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neal, 47, was unable to better his first-round time of 15.592 seconds, but he still ended qualifying with his MasterSbilt No. 71 second overall. He will start third in Saturday\u2019s second heat race as he bids to become the first driver in Dream history to win the event in consecutive years.<\/p>\n The \u20183\u2019 invert was perfect for the drivers who timed 13-18 in qualifying, handing each a pole position start in a heat. Saturday\u2019s polesitters will include former Dream winners Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., and Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky.; Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who hit the wall on his second qualifying lap but was fast enough with his first circuit to rank 14th<\/sup>; Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who made a hasty switch to his backup car for qualifying after hitting the turn-two wall during hot laps; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; and Eric Wells of Hazard, Ky.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s top 60 qualifiers locked themselves into heat-race starting spots. Drivers timing below that threshold were for the first time split into three 20-lap Qualifying Features that paid $1,000 to win, offered full DIRTcar UMP points and provided racers an opportunity to better their starting positions in Saturday\u2019s heat races.<\/p>\n Duane Chamberlain of Richmond, Ind., Jeff Babcock of Wayne, Ohio, and Sprint Car veteran Shane Cottle of Kokomo, Ind., emerged victorious in the Qualifying Features. Each will start 11th<\/sup> in a heat on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n The driver who gained the most from the new Qualifying Features format was 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion and current Nationwide Series regular Austin Dillon of Welcome, N.C., who started last (11th<\/sup>) in the second race after failing to record a time because he jumped the turn-two berm and ripped off his car\u2019s nosepiece during his first lap. He charged forward to finish third, moving him further up in the heat lineup.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s racing program, which begins at 7 p.m., includes six heat races, C- and B-features and the new \u2018scramble\u2019 races prior to the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream by Ferris Commercial Mowers.<\/p>\n Tickets for the Dirt Late Model Dream remain available on-line at www.EldoraSpeedway.com<\/a> or by calling the speedway office at 937-338-3815.<\/p>\n