Eldora Speedway | 13929
St Route 118 | New Weston | OH | 45348
For immediate news release e-mail: mail@eldoraspeedway.com
VANWORMER
TAKES WORLD 100 TUNEUP
ROSSBURG,
OH (Sept. 2) -- Jeep VanWormer can hardly wait for this weekend’s
famed World 100 at Eldora Speedway! After turning heads in last
year’s running with a stellar third place finish, he backed
that up Sunday night to best a 69 car field with a hard fought
victory in the Johnny Appleseed Classic. In the companion action,
Jerry Bowersock aced yet another UMP (United Midwestern Promoters)
main event, while Earnie Woodard outdistanced the Advance Auto
Parts Stock field.
As has
become tradition, the Appleseed event has been serving as an
unofficial tune-up for the fabled World 100, with a strong field
present.
Run under
the eyes of the Sunoco American Late Model Series (ALMS), Eldora’s
traditional time trial format was replaced with a pill draw
for line-up purposes. That diced up the field and made for some
wild heat race and B-Main action.
With those
out of the way, the 24-car starting field took the green flag
as former World 100 winner Dan Schlieper jumped into the early
lead. A strong running Jerry Bowersock and VanWormer followed,
for the early circuits, with Josh Williams and Wayne Chinn following
in close pursuit.
A lap
two caution for a stalled Dustin Moore slowed the pace initially,
but 12 consecutive green flag laps after that found a torrid
pace being set around the one-half mile clay oval.
VanWormer
bested Bowersock on lap four, and set his sights on Schleper.
As if
that action wasn’t hot enough, five-time World 100 winner
Billy Moyer was embedded deep in the field after needing a B-Main
win to gain entry into the feature.
That didn’t
deter him a bit. By lap 3, Moyer had advanced from 19th to 8th,
and was focusing on the front pack.
Lapped
traffic played into VanWormer’s hands, and on the 10th
circuit powered into the lead.
The event’s
only other caution on lap 15 for a blown tire on Josh Williams’
mount bunched the field up with VanWormer leading Schlieper,
Bowersock and Moyer.
The huge
crowd sensed a Moyer charge on the restart. But, VanWormer had
other thoughts and instantly regained his composure despite
a brief challenge from Schlieper. As the laps wore down, Moyer
could only gain one more spot, as an elated VanWormer captured
the win followed by Schlieper, Moyer, Bowersock and Brian Ruhlman
who parlayed that finish into the ALMS championship.
Todd Sherman
led the first lap of the Modified finale, only to give way to
Kent Robinson on lap two. His lead was short-lived as well,
as Bowersock, doing double duty, performed one his patented
slide jobs in turn one to take the lead on lap four. From there,
he never looked back. A few late race caution periods allowed
Robinson to move within his bumper and mount brief challenges,
but there was no denying Bowersock. He hung on to take the win
over Robinson, Sherman, Davey Gantt and Steve Shute.
Tires
came into play in the Stock car wrap-up. Early race leader Kevin
Gossard fell victim to a blown tire to give the lead to Jeff
Babcock; however, a deflating tire on his machine cost him a
late race pass by Earnie Woodard.
Woodard
had seen the tire going down and in a bonzai move off of turn
two, squeezed between the wall and Babcock to take the lead
he was to hold to victory lane.
Babcock
limped home second, followed by John Brooks, Bob Burch and defending
champion Shawn Phillippi.
