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Eldora
Speedway
First
Time Appearances common in World 100
line-ups
Past Three Years Have Seen 17 Drivers Making
Initial Starts, 1998 Most Impressive Year
ROSSBURG,
OH (Sept. 1) – Without a doubt, the
famed globed trophy that signifies a World 100 victory at Eldora
Speedway is
the most sought after prize in all of dirt Late Model racing. But, to
many
drivers, just making it into the starting line-up for the century grind
is
considered a victory as well, especially to drivers making their
initial start
in the world’s largest dirt race.
Annually
attracting the greatest field of
entrants for any dirt Late Model race, combined with the current parity
of
drivers and equipment, the World 100 is one tough event to get into,
let alone
conquer.
It
is that challenge that sees everyone put
forth their best effort of the year. Seemingly
defying all odds,
the event has seen a strong influx of first-timers hearing their names
echo
throughout the facility during driver introductions as the starting
field rolls
on to the historic .500-mile clay oval.
The
current trend dates back to 2009 when six
drivers made their initial start. Jared Landers led the
‘rookie’ field
that year with a 4thplace finish. Five new drivers
earned spots
into the 2010 chase, with Casey Roberts’ and Austin Dillon’s
12th and
13th place finishes, respectively, the best showing of that
crop.
Last
season produced another strong showing of
six new drivers joining the World 100 line-up. It was Mike Spatola III
outshining Dustin Neat (15th), Brandon Sheppard (16th), Jon Henry
(22nd), Chris
Ferguson (23rd) and Kent Robinson (30th) with his 12th place
finish to
lead the group.
With
their starts, the number of World 100
entrants since its inception in 1971 now stands at 303
drivers. Of
that number, only 26 have made it to the celebrated Eldora victory
stage to
accept the traditional and unrivaled globed trophy.
Perhaps
the most celebrated class of
‘first-timers’ was the 1998 group, as eight drivers joined the elite
group of
World 100 starters. And, it was with impressive results as
three of them;
Dan Schlieper (3rd), Don O’Neal (5th) and Shannon Babb (9th) finished
in the
top ten, and three carrying that momentum to eventual stage
appearances. Brian Birkhofer finished
15th in ’98, and was the
first of the group to grab a globe, in 2002. Schlieper
followed suit with
his triumph in 2003, and then in 2009, Bart Hartman (21st in
1998)
garnered his World 100 victory.
In
2007, local driver Wayne Chinn turned many
heads as he wheeled to a fourth place finish in his first-ever World
100.
Entering
its 42nd annual run over the
weekend of September 7 & 8, the World 100 consistently attracts
the largest
field of entrants for any dirt Late Model event; making a starting slot
in the
‘100’ especially satisfying to a driver.
The
process towards that satisfaction begins
with Thursday’s rigorous tech inspection to assure compliance to the
UMP
(United Midwestern Promoters) DIRTcar specifications and draw for
placement in
each of the two rounds of single-lap time trial runs slated for Friday
evening. The top 84 qualifiers will automatically advance to
Saturday’s
six heat races, while the balance of the 20-car line-ups for those
heats will
be determined through three qualifying features on Friday; each paying
$1,000
to win.
Populating
the starting grid begins with the
six 15-lap heats, as the top three finishers from each, along with the
two
quickest cars from time trials that did not advance, moving
forward. Finishers 4-11 will line-up into one of
two 20-lap
B-Features that will complete the 30-car starting
field.
Although
they won’t advance into the World 100,
the drivers remaining on the track at the completion of each B-Feature
will
compete in a 5-lap scramble that pays $1,000 to win, and a trip to the
historic
stage.
Tickets
for the World 100, reasonably priced as
low as $40 for the two-days, may be purchased online
at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or
by calling the track office at (937)338-3815 during
normal business hours.
Tickets will also be available the weekend of the race.
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