Bloomquist Masters Volusia Speedway Park To Earn 10th Career DIRTcar Nationals Victory
BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 18, 2015 – Scott Bloomquist rekindled his love affair with Volusia Speedway Park Wednesday night.
The veteran 51-year-old racer from Mooresburg, Tenn., mastered the half-mile oval’s tricky clay surface during Wednesday’s DIRTcar Nationals A-Main, leading all 40 laps of the caution-free race for a $10,000 DIRTcar Late Model victory.
“I love this racetrack,” said Bloomquist, who recorded his 10th career DIRTcar Nationals triumph as Volusia closed out its stretch of DIRTcar-sanctioned action ahead of three straight nights of World of Outlaws Late Model Series programs Thursday through Saturday. “It’s so demanding and has so much character. There’s nothing like it really anywhere. It’s definitely one of my top three racetracks I love coming to.”
Bloomquist, who has now claimed at least one DIRTcar Nationals victory in every season since 2011, was nearly untouchable in racing to his first win of the season. He took command from the outside pole and never looked back.
Third-starting Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., briefly closed within striking distance as Bloomquist entered lapped traffic midway through the race, but Bloomquist quickly stretched his advantage once he cleared the slower cars.
“Sometimes a good car drives itself,” said Bloomquist, who steered his Durham-powered Sweet-Bloomquist Race Car to the convincing triumph. “But you got to work at this place. I love racetracks that are a challenge.”
McDowell settled for the runner-up finish, 1.923 seconds behind Bloomquist. Morgan Bagley of Longview, Texas, was third with reigning WoO LMS champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., fourth. Shane Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., who won Monday’s DIRTcar Nationals opening round feature, was fifth.
Making his first appearance at this year’s DIRTcar Nationals, McDowell at times appeared to be able to keep pace with Bloomquist in traffic, but he was never able to mount a serious challenge. The veteran driver, who spent the first week of the DIRTcar Nationals assisting DIRTcar UMP Modified drivers Austin and Ty Dillon, fell just short of claiming his third career DIRTcar Nationals victory.
“It took me a little bit of time there to get going,” said McDowell, who hasn’t won a DIRTcar Nationals A-Main since winning in back-to-back seasons in 1998-99. “I’ve been working with modifieds this week and this was our first night out with this thing. We did good. We made some adjustments, but we’ve got some work to do for tomorrow night.
“We’ll work on this thing and see if we can’t get it closer to the front – one spot more tomorrow night.”
After dropping back to fourth form his pole starting spot, Bagley recovered to take third from Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., on lap 16 on his way to recording his first DIRTcar Nationals podium finish.
“It wasn’t a bad night,” said Bagley, whose previous best DIRTcar Nationals performance was a sixth-place finish in 2012. “We finally got qualified good and got to start up front. We just got to work on this thing and get her better so maybe we can get up there and get us a trophy.”
Landers slid back to sixth at the finish after pressuring McDowell for second early in the race. Three-time WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., advanced from his 17th starting spot to finish seventh with Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., eighth. Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., was ninth with fellow Keystone State driver Gregg Satterlee of Rochester Mills, Pa., rounding out the top 10.
The DIRTcar Nationals continue Thursday at Volusia with the first of three straight nights of $10,000-to-win World of Outlaws Late Model Series programs. More information is available atwww.DIRTcarNationals.com.
Results of DIRTcar Late Models DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park (Finishing Position/Driver/Laps Completed):
1. (2) Scott Bloomquist/40
2. (3) Dale McDowell/40
3. (1) Morgan Bagley/40
4. (9) Darrell Lanigan/40
5. (5) Shane Clanton/40
6. (4) Jared Landers/40
7. (17) Josh Richards/40
8. (6) Jonathan Davenport/40
9. (10) Chub Frank/40
10. (7) Gregg Satterlee/40
11. (21) Dennis Erb Jr./40
12. (15) Kent Robinson/40
13. (12) Billy Moyer/40
14. (14) Brandon Sheppard/40
15. (18) Eric Wells/40
16. (22) Kenny Pettyjohn/39
17. (23) Tim McCreadie/39
18. (20) Mason Zeigler/39
19. (19) Tyler Bruening/39
20. (19) Kyle Bronson/39
21. (13) Charles LaPlant/38
22. (26) Ricky Weiss/30
23. (11) Frank Heckenast Jr./29
24. (24) Boom Briggs/26
25. (28) Terry English/19
26. (25) Casey Roberts/12
27. (8) Don O’Neal/8
8. (27) Rick Eckert/6
Time of Race: 12 Mins., 46 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.923 Secs.
Yellow Flags: None
Lap Leaders: Bloomquist (1-40)
Provisional Starters: Roberts, Weiss, Eckert, English
Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/
Group 1
777-Jared Landers, Batesville, Ark., 16.116
22-Gregg Satterlee, Rochester Mills, Pa., 16.292
16B-Tyler Bruening, Decorah, Iowa, 16.736
3c-Charles LaPlant, East Prairie, Mo., 17.039
96-Terry English, Benton, Ky., 17.259
4DS-Chad Hollenbeck, Kingsley, Pa., 17.343
15-Steve Francis, Ashland, Ky., no time
77-Jordan Yaggy, Rochester, Minn., no time
7v-Rick Eckert,York, Pa., time unavailable
Group 2
5-Don O’Neal, Martinsville, Ind.,16.271
14m-Morgan Bagley, Longview, Texas, 16.280
38-Kenny Pettyjohn, Millsboro, Del., 16.523
B5-Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, Ill., 16.580
2-Dennis Franklin, Gaffney, S.C., 16.747
16-Justin Ratliff, Campbelsville, Ky., 16.858
11B-Stacy Boles, Clinton, Tenn., 16.884
201-Billy Ogle Jr., Knoxville, Tenn., 16.939
Group 3
6-Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, Ga., 16.445
39-Tim McCreadie, Watertown, N.Y., 16.524
7R-Kent Robinson, Bloomington, Ind., 16.556
7-Ricky Weiss, Headingly, Manitoba, 16.582
29-Darrell Lanigan, Union, Ky., 16.664
21D-Dan Stone, Thompson, Pa., 16.664
2s-Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., 16.669
14-Tyler Clem, St. Petersburg, Fla., 17.160
Group 4
25z-Mason Zeigler, Chalk Hill, Pa., 16.422
0-Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn., 16.594
18c-Chase Junghans, Manhattan, Kan., 16.604
40B-Kyle Bronson, Brandon, Fla., 16.702
1*-Chub Frank, Bear Lake, Pa., 16.728
1-Earl Pearson Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 16.887
11R-James Rice, Verona, Ky., 17.251
101-Casey Roberts, Toccoa, Ga., no time
Group 5
25-Shane Clanton, Zebulon, Ga., 15.788
99jr-Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, Ill., 16.238
99B-Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, Pa., 16.272
1-Josh Richards, Shinnston, W.Va., 16.779
28-Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, Ill., 16.962
15-Donny Schatz, Fargo, N.D., 17.24 0
27-Jeff Beyers, Pana, Ill., 18.385
16H-Mike Hammerle, St. Charles, Mo., 19.437
Group 6
21-Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark., 16.099
17m-Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, Ga., 16.630
18-Eric Wells, Hazard, Ky., 16.632
20-Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, 16.757
85-Mark Dotson, Cameron, Mo., 16.991
8-Gregg Hill, Eveleth, Minn., 17.356
72-Michael Norris, Sarver, Pa., 17.469
87-Walker Arthur, Forrest, Va., no time
Heat No. 1 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Landers, Satterlee, LaPlant, Bruening, Hollenbeck, English, Eckert. Did not start: Francis, Yaggy.
Heat No. 2 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Bagley, O’Neal, Sheppard, Pettyjohn, Franklin, Rattliff, Ogle, Boles.
Heat No. 3 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Davenport, Lanigan, Robinson, McCreadie, Scott, Stone, Weiss, Clem.
Heat No. 4 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Bloomquist, Frank, Bronson, Zeigler, Pearson, Junghans, Roberts, Rice.
Heat No. 5 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Clanton, Heckenast, Richards, Erb, Briggs, Schatz, Beyers, Hammerle.
Heat No. 6 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): McDowell, Moyer, Wells, Dotson, Norris, Hill, Arthur. DNS: Sanders.
B-Main No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Bruening, Pettyjohn, Franklin, Hollenback, English, Ogle, Eckert. DNS: Rattliff, Francis, Boles, Yaggy.
B-Main No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Zeigler, McCreadie, Pearson, Scott, Junghans, Stone, Clem, Weiss, Rice, Roberts.
B-Main No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Erb, Briggs, Dotson, Norris, Hill, Schatz, Arthur, Beyers, Hammerle, DNS: Sanders.
