Garrett Smith will start the DWTC from the pole
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Dirt Track World Championship is one of the crown jewel events on the Dirt Late Model schedule each year with a $100,000-to-win purse up for grabs. Portsmouth Raceway Park hosts the event with preliminary action taking place on Friday night then B-main races and the 100-lap feature being contested on Saturday evening.
Garrett Smith turned in a perfect night on Friday by setting fast time in hot laps, Group A qualifying and then winning his heat race to secure the pole for Saturday night.
This will the be final race of the season for the Lucas Oil Series. Tim McCreadie has already secured the season championship.
A total of 68 cars were signed in for competition which is the biggest car count in five years for the event.
Qualifying Results:
Group A Results- 1. Garrett Smith(14.774), 2. Chris Ferguson, 3. Brandon Overton, 4. Shannon Babb, 5. Kyle Bronson, 6. Zack Dohm, 7. Ricky Thornton Jr., 8. Camaron Marlar, 9. Zach Hill, 10. Robby Hensley
Group B Results- 1. Tim McCreadie(15.002), 2. Brandon Sheppard, 3. Earl Pearson Jr., 4. Spencer Hughes, 5. Mike Marlar, 6. Garrett Alberson, 7. Scott Bloomquist, 8. Jonathan Davenport, 9. Tyler Erb, 10. Eddie Carrier Jr.
Heat 1 Results: 1. Garrett Smith, 2. Shannon Babb, 3. Ricky Thornton Jr. … Robby Hensley, R.J. Conley, Jimmy Owens, FreddieCarpenter, Jerry Bowersock, Mike Benedum, Austin Neely, Erick Christian, Jason Jameson
Smith led all the way from the pole and controlled the pace of the race. Babb and Thornton had a good race for second most of the way. Owens, who did not post a qualifying time, came from the tail of the field to finish sixth.
Heat 2 Results: 1. Chris Ferguson, 2. Devin Gilpin, 3. Camaron Marlar … Matt Cosner, Kyle Bronson, Jessie Wisecarver, Kevin Wagner, Lucas Crooks, Steve Sabo, Chase Frohnapfel, Garet McCloud
Ferguson led from the start while sixth-starting Gilpin rose through the field to finish second. Camaron Marlar moved into a transfer spot when he passed Bronson on lap 6 for third. There were two caution with Lucas Crooks spinning to bring out the first on lap 3 then Chase Frohnapfel spun on lap 5 to bring out the second.
Heat 3 Results: 1. Brandon Overton, 2. Zack Dohm, 3. Mason Zeigler … Daulton Wilson, Zach Hill, Tyler Carpenter, Larry Bellman, Clint Keenam, Ryan Abel, Chris Nash, Chris Carpenter
Overton led all the way but Dohm and Zeigler closed in on the race leader late in the going. Zeigler made a bid to take second on the last lap but Dohm held the spot.
Heat 4 Results: 1. Tim McCreadie, 2. Spencer Hughes, 3. Eddie Carrier Jr. … Jared Hawkins, Max Blair, Josh Rice Doug Drown, Scott Bloomquist, Nathan Loney, Justin Carter, Dustin Linville, Kirk Phillips
McCreadie took the lead on the start and kept his distance from his pursuers. Hughes ran second most of the way while Carrier had to fight off challenges from Bloomquist and others over the course of the race. A lap 4 caution for Loney and a second caution on that restart for Linville would slow the action.
Heat 5 Results: 1. Mike Marlar, 2. Brandon Sheppard, 3. Hudson O’Neal … Jonathan Davenport, Colten Burdette, Ross Robinson, Brandon Fouts, Nick Bocock, Rod Conley, Shane Bailey, Ronnie Whitt
Marlar too the early lead but Sheppard closed right to his rear spoiler by lap 4 and continued to harass the race leader the rest of the way as the top-2 separated themselves from the field. O’Neal passed Davenport on the last lap to capture the final transfer spot.
Heat 6 Results: 1. Earl Pearson Jr., 2. Ryan Gustin, 3. Garrett Alberson … Tyler Erb, Devin Moran, Josh Bocook, Cody Rogers, Shannon Thornsberry, Justin Cooper, Ronnie Whitt, Fast Eddy, Charlie Mullet
Pearson went to the lead from the start ahead of a fierce battle for the remaining transfer positions raged behind him. Gustin, Alberson, Erb and Moran exchanged positions multiple times through the race before Gustin and Alberson secured the transfer spots.
Feature Lineup: 1. Garrett Smith, 2. Tim McCreadie, 3. Chris Ferguson, 4. Mike Marlar, 5. Brandon Overton, 6. Earl Pearson Jr., 7. Shannon Babb, 8. Spencer Hughes, 9. Devin Gilpin, 10. Brandon Sheppard, 11. Zack Dohm, 12. Ryan Gustin, 13. Ricky Thornton Jr., 14. Eddie Carrier Jr., 15. Camaron Marlar, 16. Hudson O’Neal, 17. Mason Zeigler, 18. Garrett Alberson, 19. B-main transfer, 20. B-main transfer, 21. B-main transfer, 22. B-main transfer, 23. B-main transfer, 24. B-main transfer