By Roby Helm
<img src="http://www.stlouisracing.com/pixs03/tricity-080103/bloomer.jpg">
SCOTT BLOOMQUIST
<b><a href="http://www.stlouisracing.com/pixs03/tricity-080103" target="_blank">RACE PHOTOS</a></b>
GRANITE CITY, Ill. -- Four-time series champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN drove the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior/Custom Taurus to his ninth Xtreme DirtCar Series win of the season on Friday night in the Road To The Brickyard 50 at Tri-City Speedway. The victory was the third straight for Bloomquist, his ninth of the season, and his 98th XDCS career win.
In a race that saw several position changes throughout the field, Bloomquist started third, and paced his way to the front of the pack on lap 40, after falling back to as far as sixth earlier in the race. Bloomquist dove to the inside of early race leader, defending and two-time series champion Rick Eckert of York, PA, coming off the fourth turn on lap 40 to take the lead.
Bloomquist also set a new track record during Ringers Glove Qualifying, turning the 1/2-mile dirt oval in 19.980 seconds for an average speed of 90.090 miles per hour. There were 20 of the 26 qualifiers that were under the old track record of 21.060 seconds set by Mark Miner of Stockbridge, GA on July 2, 1997.
Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA made a late-race charge to finish second in the Seubert Calf Ranches Mastersbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo. Eckert led the first 39 laps of the race, and held a full straightaway advantage on lap 30, but had to settle for third spot after his Raye Vest Rocket/Cornett Taurus faded in closing laps.
Steve Francis of Ashland, KY rode the cushion all night long, battled for the lead, but finished fourth in the Valvoline/Mopar Parts Rocket/Stanton Intrepid. Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, WI debuted a new car, started 12th and finished fifth in the Miller Brothers Coal Rayburn/Pro Power Monte Carlo.
Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI took the sixth spot in the Jimmy Mar Racing Mastersbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo. Donnie Moran of Dresden, OH started 17th and finished seventh in the QPI Tools Dirt Ripper Monte Carlo to earn the Advance Auto Parts Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Steve Shaver of Parkersburg, WV was eighth in the Bill Bland Towing/The Farm Used Auto Parts Rocket/Malcuit Monte Carlo. Matt Miller of Waterville, OH finished ninth in the McCullough Motorsports/Lo-Temp Brazing Rocket/Russell Baker Grand Prix and was the Lucas Oil Rookie of the Race.
Jay Johnson of West Burlington, IA rounded out the top ten in the Ideal Ready Mix/J&J Steel Mastersbilt/Clements Grand Prix. Johnson also won the Bert Transmissions 10-lap Consolation Race.
Eckert won the second eight-lap heat race and the four-lap Action Performance Dash to earn the pole position for the main event, with JE Pistons third heat race winner Birkhofer starting along side on the front row after finishing second in the dash.
The second row had first heat race winner Bloomquist on the inside, and second quick qualifier Don O'Neal of Martinsville, IN on the outside. Bloomquist and O'Neal finished third and fourth respectively in the Action Performance Dash.
After a first lap side-by-side battle, Eckert took the lead coming down the front straightaway to lead lap one followed by Birkhofer, O'Neal, Bloomquist and Francis. The 1997 series champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR drove his J&J Steel Mastersbilt/Dickens Taurus around Francis for fifth on lap three.
O'Neal stepped to the outside and passed Birkhofer for the second spot on lap eight, and lap nine saw Francis get back by Moyer for fifth. Eckert pulled away while Birkhofer and O'Neal battled for second, and once O'Neal got by Birky, Bloomquist closed in to battle for third.
At lap ten, Eckert was beginning to open up a sizable lead over O'Neal, Birkhofer, Bloomquist, Francis, Moyer, Mars, Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL in the Lucas Oil/Dunn-Benson Ford Rocket/Eatmon Taurus, Shaver, and 1999 series champion Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA. Pearson passed Shaver on lap 11 for the eighth spot.
Shannon Babb of Decatur, IL brought out the first of four caution flags when he stalled his Car City Company Rayburn/Dickens Monte Carlo on lap 17. During the caution, McDowell retired his Larry Shaw Race Cars/J&J Steel Rocket By Shaw/Kuntz Taurus for the evening. On the double file restart, a couple of cars that started on the outside got busy.
Birkhofer tried to duck under O'Neal in turn one, but the "Real Deal" kept his Petroff Towing Rayburn/Pro Power Monte Carlo in the second spot. Francis restarted in fifth, and Mars restarted in seventh. They blasted by Bloomquist to claim fourth and fifth respectively, which dropped Bloomquist back to sixth, and Moyer to seventh.
Shaver got by Pearson for the eighth spot, and Randy Korte of Highland, IL brought his Mid-Continental Fuel Rocket/Race Tech Grand Prix into the tenth spot.
All of that action happened in one lap, and the caution came back out on lap 18 when Dewayne Kiefer of Bloomsdale, MO stalled his Sonacom High Caliber Signs Rayburn/Vogt Monte Carlo. When the green light came back on, Francis was on the move again.
The Kentucky Colonel drove by Birkhofer for the third spot, and Bloomquist got by Mars for fifth. Eckert got a chance to pull away, as O'Neal, Francis, and Birkhofer started racing two and three wide for the second spot, with Bloomquist having a front row seat from the fifth position. O'Neal jumped the cushion in turn three on lap 21, hit the guardrail, but got a break.
Ron McQuerry of St. Albans, MO stalled his Midwest Environmental Rayburn/Russell Baker Monte Carlo in turn one, so O'Neal was able to restart in second spot behind Eckert. Francis, Birkhofer, Bloomquist, Mars, Moyer, Shaver, Korte, and Pearson lined up double file in third through tenth.
Francis rode the highline on the restart to pass O'Neal for second, bringing Bloomquist with him up into third, and dropping Birkhofer back to fifth. There was more wheeling and dealing, as Moyer climbed to sixth, Korte moved up to seventh, Shaver held his own in eighth, while Mars dropped to ninth, and Schlieper passed Pearson for tenth.
O'Neal met the steel third turn guardrail for a second time on lap 23, and this time, the rail wouldn't let go. O'Neal stopped to bring out the caution flag, ending his evening. After the restart, Eckert began to pull away. Behind him, there was still plenty of position swapping going on in the top ten.
At the halfway point, it was Eckert leading Francis, Bloomquist, Birkhofer, Korte, Moyer, Schlieper, Shaver, Mars and Moran. Korte and Moyer began to fade on lap 27, as Schlieper climbed up to the fifth spot. Korte retired on lap 34, and Moyer was gone by lap 40.
By lap 30, Francis was beginning to hang the tail of his Dodge out coming off the fourth turn, as Eckert pulled out to a full straightaway lead. Bloomquist must have noticed the loose condition of Francis' car, as he changed his line.
For several laps, Bloomquist would enter turn three on the high side, and drive to the bottom of the track to exit turn four. Bloomquist closed the gap, and ducked under Francis coming off the fourth turn on lap 36 to take over the second spot. Meanwhile, Eckert was up front struggling through lapped traffic, as Bloomquist was gaining ground fast.
Eckert was struggling to enter the corners on the high side, while Bloomquist stuck to his in high off low groove through the turns to catch Eckert on lap 38. Bloomquist drove under Eckert to take the lead coming off the fourth turn on lap 40.
Birkhofer picked up the pace on lap 44 when he passed Francis for the third spot, and then got by Eckert for second on lap 47. By that time, Bloomquist picked his way through the lapped cars, and Birkhofer was unable to make a challenge.
Bloomquist now holds a 156-point lead over Francis in the XDCS points chase. Birkhofer moved to the third spot, 35 points behind Francis, and ten ahead of Mars in fourth. Eckert remains in the fifth spot in points, 58 behind Mars.
The next event for the Xtreme DirtCar Series will be on Saturday night at LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, IL for a 50-lap $10,000-to-win main event. The pit gate opens at 2 p.m., and the grandstand gate opens at 5 p.m.
The LaSalle Speedway Sportsman and Street Stock Divisions will also be in action on Saturday night. For ticket and race day information call (815) 223-6900, or visit the track web site at www.lasallespeedway.com. LaSalle Speedway is located 1-mile east of I-39 exit 57 on U.S. Highway 6.
RESULTS
MAIN EVENT (50 laps):
POS. (START) CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN CAR LAPS WINNINGS
1. (3) 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN Ford 50 $10,700
2. (2) 15b Brian Birkhofer Muscatine, IA Chev. 50 $6,800
3. (1) 24 Rick Eckert York, PA Ford 50 $3,950
4. (5) m15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY Dodge 50 $3,100
5. (12) s9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee, WI Chev. 50 $2,600
6. (6) 28 Jimmy Mars Elk Mound, WI Chev. 50 $2,400
7. (17) 99 Donnie Moran Dresden, OH Chev. 50 $2,300
8. (9) 0s Steve Shaver Parkersburg, WV Chev. 50 $1,400
9. (14) 7 Matt Miller (R) Waterville, OH Pont. 50 $1,800
10. (19) 5 Jay Johnson West Burlington, IA Pont. 49 $1,100
11. (11) 99 Johnny Johnson West Burlington, IA Ford 49 $1,000
12. (7) 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville, FL Ford 48 $1,550
13. (21) 81 Craig Smith Godfrey, IL Chev. 47 $900
14. (20) 13 Dewayne Kiefer Bloomsdale, MO Chev. 47 $875
15. (16) 11 Kevin Gundaker St. Charles, MO Chev. 43 $850
16. (8) 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR Ford 40 $825
17. (13) 70 Jeff Smith Dallas, NC Chev. 36 $800
18. (15) 00 Randy Korte Highland, IL Pont. 34 $750
19. (4) 71 Don O'Neal Martinsville, IN Chev. 23 $800
20. (24) 8 Ron McQuerry St. Albans, MO Chev. 19 $700
21. (10) 17m Dale McDowell Rossville, GA Ford 16 $1,300
22. (23) 18 Shannon Babb Decatur, IL Chev. 16 $700
23. (18) 26 Billy Faust Lebanon, IL Pont. 15 $700
24. (22) 51 Steve Shive St. Peters, MO Pont. 7 $700
ENTRIES: 26
RINGERS GLOVES FAST TIME: Bloomquist, 19.980 seconds (new track record).
JE PISTONS AWARD WINNER: Birkhofer.
BERT TRANSMISSIONS AWARD WINNER: Jay Johnson.
WELD WHEELS JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Butch Kruckeberg.
PROVISIONAL STARTER: Babb.
FIRST ALTERNATE: McQuerry.
LEAD CHANGES: 1 among 2 drivers.
LAP LEADERS: Eckert 1-39, Bloomquist, 40-50.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS HARD CHARGER: Moran (started 17th, finished 7th).
LUCAS OIL ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Miller.
CAUTIONS: 4.
XTREME SHOOTOUT INVITEES: Johnny Johnson, C. Smith, Kiefer, Gundaker, McQuerry, Faust (promoter's choice).
RINGERS GLOVES QUALIFYING:
POS. CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS/ENGINE TIME SPEED
1. 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN Warrior/Custom 19.980 90.090
2. 71 Don O'Neal Martinsville, IN Rayburn/Pro Power 20.027 89.879
3. 15b Brian Birkhofer Muscatine, IA Mastersbilt/Pro Power 20.051 89.771
4. m15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY Rocket/Stanton 20.067 89.700
5. 24 Rick Eckert York, PA Rocket/Cornett 20.150 89.330
6. 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville, FL Rocket/Eatmon 20.214 89.047
7. 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR Mastersbilt/Dickens 20.285 88.736
8. 0s Steve Shaver Parkersburg, WV Rocket/Malcuit 20.294 88.696
9. 17m Dale McDowell Rossville, GA Rocket/Kuntz 20.303 88.657
10. 70 Jeff Smith Dallas, NC Rocket/Gaerte 20.326 88.557
11. 28m Jimmy Mars Elk Mound, WI Mastersbilt/Pro Power 20.340 88.496
12. s9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee, WI Rayburn/Pro Power 20.416 88.166
13. 18 Shannon Babb Decatur, IL Rayburn/Dickens 20.417 88.162
14. 7 Matt Miller ® Waterville, OH Rocket/Russell Baker 20.494 87.831
15. 26 Billy Faust Lebanon, IL Mastersbilt/Hatfield 20.635 87.230
16. 99j Johnny Johnson West Burlington, IA Rocket/Cornett 20.705 86.936
17. 99 Donnie Moran Dresden, OH Mastersbilt/Malcuit 20.705 86.936
18. 00k Randy Korte Highland, IL Rocket/Race Tech 20.773 86.651
19. 11 Kevin Gundaker St. Charles, MO Rayburn/Pro Power 20.843 86.360
20. 5 Jay Johnson West Burlington, IA Mastersbilt/Clements 20.880 86.207
21. 13 Dewayne Kiefer Bloomsdale, MO Rayburn/Vogt 21.951 82.001
22. 8 Ron McQuerry St. Albans, MO Rayburn/Baker 22.317 80.656
23. 81 Craig Smith Godfrey, IL Rayburn/Mullins 22.361 80.497
24. 76 Butch Kruckeberg Edwardsville, IL Warrior/Performance 22.413 80.311
25. 51 Steve Shive St. Peters, MO Rayburn/Clements 22.449 80.182
26. 9 Terry James Winfield, MO GRT/Todd's Machine DQ
1ST HEAT (8 laps): 1. Bloomquist; 2. Francis; 3. Moyer; 4. Johnny Johnson; 5. J. Smith; 6. Gundaker; 7. Shive; 8. McQuerry; 9. Babb. (top 6 advanced to the main event)
2ND HEAT (8 laps): 1. Eckert; 2. Mars; 3. Shaver; 4. O'Neal; 5. Miller (R); 6. Moran; 7. Jay Johnson; 8. C. Smith; 9. James. (top 6 advanced to the main event)
JE PISTONS 3RD HEAT (8 laps): 1. Birkhofer; 2. Pearson; 3. McDowell; 4. Schlieper; 5. Korte; 6. Faust; 7. Kiefer; 8. Kruckeberg. (top 6 advanced to the main event)
ACTION PERFORMANCE DASH (4 laps): 1. Eckert; 2. Birkhofer; 3. Bloomquist; 4. O'Neal.
BERT TRANSMISSIONS CONSOLATION RACE (10 laps): 1. Jay Johnson; 2. Kiefer; 3. C. Smith; 4. Shive; 5. McQuerry; 6. Kruckeberg; 7. James; 8. Babb. (top 4 advanced to the main event)
POINT STANDINGS
Top 20 as of 8/1/03
1. Scott Bloomquist - 3675
2. Steve Francis - 3521
3. Brian Birkhofer - 3486
4. Jimmy Mars - 3476
5. Rick Eckert - 3418
6. Earl Pearson Jr. - 3286
7. Dale McDowell - 3220
8. Donnie Moran - 3054
9. Dan Schlieper - 2923
10. Matt Miller (R) - 2824
11. Steve Shaver - 2611
12. Jeff Smith - 2076
13. Billy Moyer - 1891
14. Shane Tankersley - 1418
15. Rick Aukland - 1333
16. Randle Chupp - 1256
17. Terry English - 1211
18. Freddy Smith - 1127
19. Ray Cook - 1020
20. Don O'Neal - 1012
R - Denotes Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year Candidate
<img src="http://www.stlouisracing.com/pixs03/tricity-080103/bloomer.jpg">
SCOTT BLOOMQUIST
<b><a href="http://www.stlouisracing.com/pixs03/tricity-080103" target="_blank">RACE PHOTOS</a></b>
GRANITE CITY, Ill. -- Four-time series champion Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN drove the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior/Custom Taurus to his ninth Xtreme DirtCar Series win of the season on Friday night in the Road To The Brickyard 50 at Tri-City Speedway. The victory was the third straight for Bloomquist, his ninth of the season, and his 98th XDCS career win.
In a race that saw several position changes throughout the field, Bloomquist started third, and paced his way to the front of the pack on lap 40, after falling back to as far as sixth earlier in the race. Bloomquist dove to the inside of early race leader, defending and two-time series champion Rick Eckert of York, PA, coming off the fourth turn on lap 40 to take the lead.
Bloomquist also set a new track record during Ringers Glove Qualifying, turning the 1/2-mile dirt oval in 19.980 seconds for an average speed of 90.090 miles per hour. There were 20 of the 26 qualifiers that were under the old track record of 21.060 seconds set by Mark Miner of Stockbridge, GA on July 2, 1997.
Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, IA made a late-race charge to finish second in the Seubert Calf Ranches Mastersbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo. Eckert led the first 39 laps of the race, and held a full straightaway advantage on lap 30, but had to settle for third spot after his Raye Vest Rocket/Cornett Taurus faded in closing laps.
Steve Francis of Ashland, KY rode the cushion all night long, battled for the lead, but finished fourth in the Valvoline/Mopar Parts Rocket/Stanton Intrepid. Dan Schlieper of Pewaukee, WI debuted a new car, started 12th and finished fifth in the Miller Brothers Coal Rayburn/Pro Power Monte Carlo.
Jimmy Mars of Elk Mound, WI took the sixth spot in the Jimmy Mar Racing Mastersbilt/Pro Power Monte Carlo. Donnie Moran of Dresden, OH started 17th and finished seventh in the QPI Tools Dirt Ripper Monte Carlo to earn the Advance Auto Parts Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Steve Shaver of Parkersburg, WV was eighth in the Bill Bland Towing/The Farm Used Auto Parts Rocket/Malcuit Monte Carlo. Matt Miller of Waterville, OH finished ninth in the McCullough Motorsports/Lo-Temp Brazing Rocket/Russell Baker Grand Prix and was the Lucas Oil Rookie of the Race.
Jay Johnson of West Burlington, IA rounded out the top ten in the Ideal Ready Mix/J&J Steel Mastersbilt/Clements Grand Prix. Johnson also won the Bert Transmissions 10-lap Consolation Race.
Eckert won the second eight-lap heat race and the four-lap Action Performance Dash to earn the pole position for the main event, with JE Pistons third heat race winner Birkhofer starting along side on the front row after finishing second in the dash.
The second row had first heat race winner Bloomquist on the inside, and second quick qualifier Don O'Neal of Martinsville, IN on the outside. Bloomquist and O'Neal finished third and fourth respectively in the Action Performance Dash.
After a first lap side-by-side battle, Eckert took the lead coming down the front straightaway to lead lap one followed by Birkhofer, O'Neal, Bloomquist and Francis. The 1997 series champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR drove his J&J Steel Mastersbilt/Dickens Taurus around Francis for fifth on lap three.
O'Neal stepped to the outside and passed Birkhofer for the second spot on lap eight, and lap nine saw Francis get back by Moyer for fifth. Eckert pulled away while Birkhofer and O'Neal battled for second, and once O'Neal got by Birky, Bloomquist closed in to battle for third.
At lap ten, Eckert was beginning to open up a sizable lead over O'Neal, Birkhofer, Bloomquist, Francis, Moyer, Mars, Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL in the Lucas Oil/Dunn-Benson Ford Rocket/Eatmon Taurus, Shaver, and 1999 series champion Dale McDowell of Rossville, GA. Pearson passed Shaver on lap 11 for the eighth spot.
Shannon Babb of Decatur, IL brought out the first of four caution flags when he stalled his Car City Company Rayburn/Dickens Monte Carlo on lap 17. During the caution, McDowell retired his Larry Shaw Race Cars/J&J Steel Rocket By Shaw/Kuntz Taurus for the evening. On the double file restart, a couple of cars that started on the outside got busy.
Birkhofer tried to duck under O'Neal in turn one, but the "Real Deal" kept his Petroff Towing Rayburn/Pro Power Monte Carlo in the second spot. Francis restarted in fifth, and Mars restarted in seventh. They blasted by Bloomquist to claim fourth and fifth respectively, which dropped Bloomquist back to sixth, and Moyer to seventh.
Shaver got by Pearson for the eighth spot, and Randy Korte of Highland, IL brought his Mid-Continental Fuel Rocket/Race Tech Grand Prix into the tenth spot.
All of that action happened in one lap, and the caution came back out on lap 18 when Dewayne Kiefer of Bloomsdale, MO stalled his Sonacom High Caliber Signs Rayburn/Vogt Monte Carlo. When the green light came back on, Francis was on the move again.
The Kentucky Colonel drove by Birkhofer for the third spot, and Bloomquist got by Mars for fifth. Eckert got a chance to pull away, as O'Neal, Francis, and Birkhofer started racing two and three wide for the second spot, with Bloomquist having a front row seat from the fifth position. O'Neal jumped the cushion in turn three on lap 21, hit the guardrail, but got a break.
Ron McQuerry of St. Albans, MO stalled his Midwest Environmental Rayburn/Russell Baker Monte Carlo in turn one, so O'Neal was able to restart in second spot behind Eckert. Francis, Birkhofer, Bloomquist, Mars, Moyer, Shaver, Korte, and Pearson lined up double file in third through tenth.
Francis rode the highline on the restart to pass O'Neal for second, bringing Bloomquist with him up into third, and dropping Birkhofer back to fifth. There was more wheeling and dealing, as Moyer climbed to sixth, Korte moved up to seventh, Shaver held his own in eighth, while Mars dropped to ninth, and Schlieper passed Pearson for tenth.
O'Neal met the steel third turn guardrail for a second time on lap 23, and this time, the rail wouldn't let go. O'Neal stopped to bring out the caution flag, ending his evening. After the restart, Eckert began to pull away. Behind him, there was still plenty of position swapping going on in the top ten.
At the halfway point, it was Eckert leading Francis, Bloomquist, Birkhofer, Korte, Moyer, Schlieper, Shaver, Mars and Moran. Korte and Moyer began to fade on lap 27, as Schlieper climbed up to the fifth spot. Korte retired on lap 34, and Moyer was gone by lap 40.
By lap 30, Francis was beginning to hang the tail of his Dodge out coming off the fourth turn, as Eckert pulled out to a full straightaway lead. Bloomquist must have noticed the loose condition of Francis' car, as he changed his line.
For several laps, Bloomquist would enter turn three on the high side, and drive to the bottom of the track to exit turn four. Bloomquist closed the gap, and ducked under Francis coming off the fourth turn on lap 36 to take over the second spot. Meanwhile, Eckert was up front struggling through lapped traffic, as Bloomquist was gaining ground fast.
Eckert was struggling to enter the corners on the high side, while Bloomquist stuck to his in high off low groove through the turns to catch Eckert on lap 38. Bloomquist drove under Eckert to take the lead coming off the fourth turn on lap 40.
Birkhofer picked up the pace on lap 44 when he passed Francis for the third spot, and then got by Eckert for second on lap 47. By that time, Bloomquist picked his way through the lapped cars, and Birkhofer was unable to make a challenge.
Bloomquist now holds a 156-point lead over Francis in the XDCS points chase. Birkhofer moved to the third spot, 35 points behind Francis, and ten ahead of Mars in fourth. Eckert remains in the fifth spot in points, 58 behind Mars.
The next event for the Xtreme DirtCar Series will be on Saturday night at LaSalle Speedway in LaSalle, IL for a 50-lap $10,000-to-win main event. The pit gate opens at 2 p.m., and the grandstand gate opens at 5 p.m.
The LaSalle Speedway Sportsman and Street Stock Divisions will also be in action on Saturday night. For ticket and race day information call (815) 223-6900, or visit the track web site at www.lasallespeedway.com. LaSalle Speedway is located 1-mile east of I-39 exit 57 on U.S. Highway 6.
RESULTS
MAIN EVENT (50 laps):
POS. (START) CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN CAR LAPS WINNINGS
1. (3) 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN Ford 50 $10,700
2. (2) 15b Brian Birkhofer Muscatine, IA Chev. 50 $6,800
3. (1) 24 Rick Eckert York, PA Ford 50 $3,950
4. (5) m15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY Dodge 50 $3,100
5. (12) s9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee, WI Chev. 50 $2,600
6. (6) 28 Jimmy Mars Elk Mound, WI Chev. 50 $2,400
7. (17) 99 Donnie Moran Dresden, OH Chev. 50 $2,300
8. (9) 0s Steve Shaver Parkersburg, WV Chev. 50 $1,400
9. (14) 7 Matt Miller (R) Waterville, OH Pont. 50 $1,800
10. (19) 5 Jay Johnson West Burlington, IA Pont. 49 $1,100
11. (11) 99 Johnny Johnson West Burlington, IA Ford 49 $1,000
12. (7) 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville, FL Ford 48 $1,550
13. (21) 81 Craig Smith Godfrey, IL Chev. 47 $900
14. (20) 13 Dewayne Kiefer Bloomsdale, MO Chev. 47 $875
15. (16) 11 Kevin Gundaker St. Charles, MO Chev. 43 $850
16. (8) 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR Ford 40 $825
17. (13) 70 Jeff Smith Dallas, NC Chev. 36 $800
18. (15) 00 Randy Korte Highland, IL Pont. 34 $750
19. (4) 71 Don O'Neal Martinsville, IN Chev. 23 $800
20. (24) 8 Ron McQuerry St. Albans, MO Chev. 19 $700
21. (10) 17m Dale McDowell Rossville, GA Ford 16 $1,300
22. (23) 18 Shannon Babb Decatur, IL Chev. 16 $700
23. (18) 26 Billy Faust Lebanon, IL Pont. 15 $700
24. (22) 51 Steve Shive St. Peters, MO Pont. 7 $700
ENTRIES: 26
RINGERS GLOVES FAST TIME: Bloomquist, 19.980 seconds (new track record).
JE PISTONS AWARD WINNER: Birkhofer.
BERT TRANSMISSIONS AWARD WINNER: Jay Johnson.
WELD WHEELS JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Butch Kruckeberg.
PROVISIONAL STARTER: Babb.
FIRST ALTERNATE: McQuerry.
LEAD CHANGES: 1 among 2 drivers.
LAP LEADERS: Eckert 1-39, Bloomquist, 40-50.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS HARD CHARGER: Moran (started 17th, finished 7th).
LUCAS OIL ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Miller.
CAUTIONS: 4.
XTREME SHOOTOUT INVITEES: Johnny Johnson, C. Smith, Kiefer, Gundaker, McQuerry, Faust (promoter's choice).
RINGERS GLOVES QUALIFYING:
POS. CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS/ENGINE TIME SPEED
1. 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN Warrior/Custom 19.980 90.090
2. 71 Don O'Neal Martinsville, IN Rayburn/Pro Power 20.027 89.879
3. 15b Brian Birkhofer Muscatine, IA Mastersbilt/Pro Power 20.051 89.771
4. m15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY Rocket/Stanton 20.067 89.700
5. 24 Rick Eckert York, PA Rocket/Cornett 20.150 89.330
6. 1 Earl Pearson Jr. Jacksonville, FL Rocket/Eatmon 20.214 89.047
7. 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR Mastersbilt/Dickens 20.285 88.736
8. 0s Steve Shaver Parkersburg, WV Rocket/Malcuit 20.294 88.696
9. 17m Dale McDowell Rossville, GA Rocket/Kuntz 20.303 88.657
10. 70 Jeff Smith Dallas, NC Rocket/Gaerte 20.326 88.557
11. 28m Jimmy Mars Elk Mound, WI Mastersbilt/Pro Power 20.340 88.496
12. s9 Dan Schlieper Pewaukee, WI Rayburn/Pro Power 20.416 88.166
13. 18 Shannon Babb Decatur, IL Rayburn/Dickens 20.417 88.162
14. 7 Matt Miller ® Waterville, OH Rocket/Russell Baker 20.494 87.831
15. 26 Billy Faust Lebanon, IL Mastersbilt/Hatfield 20.635 87.230
16. 99j Johnny Johnson West Burlington, IA Rocket/Cornett 20.705 86.936
17. 99 Donnie Moran Dresden, OH Mastersbilt/Malcuit 20.705 86.936
18. 00k Randy Korte Highland, IL Rocket/Race Tech 20.773 86.651
19. 11 Kevin Gundaker St. Charles, MO Rayburn/Pro Power 20.843 86.360
20. 5 Jay Johnson West Burlington, IA Mastersbilt/Clements 20.880 86.207
21. 13 Dewayne Kiefer Bloomsdale, MO Rayburn/Vogt 21.951 82.001
22. 8 Ron McQuerry St. Albans, MO Rayburn/Baker 22.317 80.656
23. 81 Craig Smith Godfrey, IL Rayburn/Mullins 22.361 80.497
24. 76 Butch Kruckeberg Edwardsville, IL Warrior/Performance 22.413 80.311
25. 51 Steve Shive St. Peters, MO Rayburn/Clements 22.449 80.182
26. 9 Terry James Winfield, MO GRT/Todd's Machine DQ
1ST HEAT (8 laps): 1. Bloomquist; 2. Francis; 3. Moyer; 4. Johnny Johnson; 5. J. Smith; 6. Gundaker; 7. Shive; 8. McQuerry; 9. Babb. (top 6 advanced to the main event)
2ND HEAT (8 laps): 1. Eckert; 2. Mars; 3. Shaver; 4. O'Neal; 5. Miller (R); 6. Moran; 7. Jay Johnson; 8. C. Smith; 9. James. (top 6 advanced to the main event)
JE PISTONS 3RD HEAT (8 laps): 1. Birkhofer; 2. Pearson; 3. McDowell; 4. Schlieper; 5. Korte; 6. Faust; 7. Kiefer; 8. Kruckeberg. (top 6 advanced to the main event)
ACTION PERFORMANCE DASH (4 laps): 1. Eckert; 2. Birkhofer; 3. Bloomquist; 4. O'Neal.
BERT TRANSMISSIONS CONSOLATION RACE (10 laps): 1. Jay Johnson; 2. Kiefer; 3. C. Smith; 4. Shive; 5. McQuerry; 6. Kruckeberg; 7. James; 8. Babb. (top 4 advanced to the main event)
POINT STANDINGS
Top 20 as of 8/1/03
1. Scott Bloomquist - 3675
2. Steve Francis - 3521
3. Brian Birkhofer - 3486
4. Jimmy Mars - 3476
5. Rick Eckert - 3418
6. Earl Pearson Jr. - 3286
7. Dale McDowell - 3220
8. Donnie Moran - 3054
9. Dan Schlieper - 2923
10. Matt Miller (R) - 2824
11. Steve Shaver - 2611
12. Jeff Smith - 2076
13. Billy Moyer - 1891
14. Shane Tankersley - 1418
15. Rick Aukland - 1333
16. Randle Chupp - 1256
17. Terry English - 1211
18. Freddy Smith - 1127
19. Ray Cook - 1020
20. Don O'Neal - 1012
R - Denotes Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year Candidate
