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Pontoon Beach, IL (May 1st, 2015) Rusty Griffaw took the victory in a wild and crazy UMP DIRTcar Modified feature event. It appeared to be a two car battle for the win for most of the race as Matt Mevert and Michael Long had checked out on the field and were battling for the lead when an encounter with lapped traffic left both of the spun in turn one on lap twenty-one of the twenty-five lap feature event. On the restart, Rick Stevenson would be out front with Dave Wietholder in second, Tyler Nicely in third and Griffaw in fourth. Griffaw would make short work of those in front of him once the race went back green. He would split Wietholder and Nicely going down the back stretch as he roared past right between them as they raced side by side and then on the next lap he would drive past Stevenson for the lead and go on to take the win. Stevenson would finish second, with Nicely third, Wietholder fourth and Steve Meyer, Jr. fifth.

John Stanton would get a dominating win in the B-Modified feature event. Stanton jockied his machine around the low side and pulled away from the pack. A great battle behind him would see Robbie Eilers claim second with Dustin Homan third, Trey Harris fourth and Ryan Eilers fifth.

Scott Bloomquist reached Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory lane for the first time this season on Friday Night. Bloomquist held on to win the “Spring Spectacular” at Tri-City Speedway after taking the lead from Bobby Pierce on lap 37, and fighting off a late-race surge from Earl Pearson Jr.

The win is the 55th of his career in LOLMDS competition. He becomes the ninth different winner this season on the tour. Earl Pearson Jr. made a last lap run on Bloomquist but came up a car length short at the checkered flag. Brandon Sheppard raced his way from eighth to finish third, followed by Clint Bowyer Racing teammates, Don O’Neal and Steve Francis.

“I have to thank my crew and all of my sponsors. We changed cars last night after Macon and we came here. This car ran just spectacular. The car was great tonight. Kevin Gundaker and his crew do an outstanding job prepping this track.”

Bloomquist started third and had a front row seat for the first 35 laps of the race while a terrific battle for the lead among the top five was going on. “I was just sitting there enjoying the way the race was unfolding. I am sure the crowd really was enjoying it was well. We got to second couple of times, then we faded back to third or fourth.”

With 35 laps complete, the first and only caution of the race came out. Up until that point, Pierce had been in front from the third lap on and looked to have a handle on the field. Just a lap after the restart, Pierce started to fade as his hopes of going to victory lane were rapidly disappearing.

Bloomquist was able to wrestle the lead from Pierce on lap 37. Pearson slowly climbed from his ninth starting spot throughout the race and was now running second. Bloomquist battled through lapped traffic in the last five laps holding off Pearson at the finish line.

“I would like to thank Crop Production Services and Dyna-Gro for coming on board in the last week. I also want to thank Reece Monument Company, Mark Martin Automotive, Penske Shocks, Base Racing Fuel, Lucas Oil Products, Horton Coal, and Sorbera Chiropractic,” said the 51-year-old Hall-of-Fame driver who drives a Sweet-Bloomquist Chassis powered by an Andy Durham Racing Engine.

Pearson re-gained the points lead over Jonathan Davenport with his runner-up finish. “I’d like to thank Carlton and Kemp Lamm, Dunn-Benson Ford, Lucas Oil Products, and Black Diamond Chassis. It’s a team effort and those people make it possible to do this.”

Sheppard kept his car glued to the top of the track for most of the 50 laps to secure his third place finish. “Yes it was a real good points night. We just didn’t have enough for Scott and Earl there at the end. I have to thank my dad and grandpa for making this possible and a big thanks to Valvoline, Kid’s Castle Learning Center, Champion Spark Plus, and Mark Richards at Rocket Chassis.”

Completing the top ten were Jimmy Mars Dennis Erb Jr., Ryan Unzicker, Jonathan Davenport, and Billy Laycock.

In preliminary action, Shannon Babb set the overall Miller Welders Fast Time (Group A) amongst the 45 entrants, with a lap of 14.794 seconds. Dennis Erb Jr. set the fastest time in Group B with a time of 15.232 seconds. Shannon Babb, Scott Bloomquist, Dennis Erb Jr., and Bobby Pierce won their respective heat races. Jason Feger and Chris Brown won their respective B-Mains.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Friday, May 1st, 2015
Spring Spectacular
Tri-City Speedway – Granite City, IL

Miller Welders Fast Time Group A: Shannon Babb / 14.794 seconds
Miller Welders Fast Time Group B: Dennis Erb Jr. / 15.232 seconds

Eibach Springs Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Shannon Babb, Jonathan Davenport, Earl Pearson, Jr., Jimmy Owens, Jason Feger, Chris Simpson, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Spencer Diercks, Jeremy Sneed, Austin Rettig, Kevin Cole, Chip Morgan

FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Scott Bloomquist, Steve Francis, Tim Manville, Jared Landers, Dewayne Kiefer, Billy Laycock, Matt Westfall, Devin Moran, Scott Weber, Kolby Vandenbergh, Mike Hammerle

Simpson Performance Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Dennis Erb, Jr., Jimmy Mars, Billy Drake, Darrel Moser, Ryan Unzicker, Jim Shereck, Wendell Wallace, Jason Riggs, Mike Benedum, Chris Fetter, Claude Walker

QA1 Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Don O’Neal, Billy Moyer, Chris Brown, Michael Kloos, Jeremy Payne, Cody Conner, Jeff Herzog, Ken Rumble, Scott Henseler

Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): Jason Feger, Dewayne Kiefer, Matt Westfall, Chris Simpson, Devin Moran, Eddie Carrier, Jr., Spencer Diercks, Billy Laycock, Scott Weber, Kolby Vandenbergh, Mike Hammerle, Jeremy Sneed, Austin Rettig, Kevin Cole, Chip Morgan

Keyser MFG B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): Chris Brown, Ryan Unzicker, Jeremy Payne, Michael Kloos, Jim Shereck, Mike Benedum, Jason Riggs, Cody Conner, Ken Rumble, Claude Walker, Jeff Herzog, Scott Henseler, Chris Fetter, Wendell Wallace

Feature Finish (50 Laps):
FINISH START CAR # DRIVER NAME HOMETOWN
1 3 0 Scott Bloomquist Mooresburg, TN
2 9 1 Earl Pearson, Jr. Jacksonville, FL
3 8 B5 Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL
4 12 5 Don O’Neal Martinsville, IN
5 7 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY
6 6 28m Jimmy Mars Menomonie, WI
7 2 28e Dennis Erb, Jr. Carpentersville, IL
8 20 24x Ryan Unzicker El Paso, IL
9 5 6 Jonathan Davenport Mount Airy, NC
10 25 82 Billy Laycock Marine, IL
11 23 99m Devin Moran Dresden, OH
12 13 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN
13 18 21b Chris Brown Spring, TX
14 21 54 Matt Westfall Pleasant Hill, OH
15 4 32 Bobby Pierce Oakwood, IL
16 10 75 Billy Drake Bloomington, IL
17 19 0K Dewayne Kiefer Bloomsdale MO
18 24 28 Eddie Carrier, Jr. Salt Rock, WV
19 27 25 Mike Benedum Salem, WV
20 17 25F Jason Feger Bloomington, IL
21 11 33T Tim Manville Highland, IL
22 15 777 Jared Landers Batesville, AR
23 16 21 Billy Moyer Batesville, AR
24 22 186 Jeremy Payne Springfield, MO
25 1 18 Shannon Babb Mowequa, IL
26 26 15V Kolby Vandenbergh Ashland, IL
27 14 22 Darrel Moser New Haven, MO

Race Statistics
Entrants: 45
Lap Leaders: Shannon Babb (Laps 1 – 2); Bobby Pierce (Laps 3 – 36); Scott Bloomquist (Laps 37 – 50)
Cautions: Jared Landers (Lap 35)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Devin Moran, Eddie Carrier Jr.
Tri-City Speedway Track Provisionals: Billy Laycock; Kolby Vandenbergh
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Emergency Provisionals: Mike Benedum

B Modified 5/1/2015
A-Main :1. John Stanton (East Alton, IL), 2. Robbie Eilers (Highland, IL), 3. Dustin Homan (Marquand, MO), 4. Trey Harris (Hillsboro, MO), 5. Ryan Eilers (Highland, IL), 6. Tony Frazier (Lebanon, IL), 7. Doug Tye (Troy, IL), 8. Jason Worley (St.Mary, MO), 9. Kodi Savage (Arcadia, MO), 10. Terry Bolin (Brighton, IL), 11. Richie Gabriel (Jerseyville, IL), 12. Joe Giesler (St. Mary, MO), 13. Jeff LeBaube (Dittmer, MO), 14. Mark Crady (DeSoto, MO), 15. Jake Trebilcock (Caseyville, IL), 16. Jacob Duke (St. Louis, MO), 17. Jerry Dean (Troy, MO), 18. Cody Stilwell (Godfrey, IL), 19. Jeff Yates (Troy, MO), 20. Audy Murphy (East Alton, IL), 21. Tom Rorabacher (Imperial, MO), 22. Jerry Warren (Alton, IL), 23. Jerry Kiser (O’ Fallon, MO), 24. Kevin Morgan (St. Charles, MO),

B-Main:1. Jerry Dean (Troy, MO), 2. Terry Bolin (Brighton, IL), 3. Audy Murphy (East Alton, IL), 4. Joe Giesler (St. Mary, MO), 5. Jerry Warren (Alton, IL), 6. Jeff LeBaube (Dittmer, MO), 7. Mitch Landrum (O’Fallon, MO), 8. Jimmy Glover (Alton, IL), 9. Tommy Gaither (Bunker Hill, IL),

Heat 1:1. John Stanton (East Alton, IL), 2. Jason Worley (St.Mary, MO), 3. Kodi Savage (Arcadia, MO), 4. Cody Stilwell (Godfrey, IL), 5. Kevin Morgan (St. Charles, MO), 6. Jerry Kiser (O’ Fallon, MO), 7. Mitch Landrum (O’Fallon, MO), 8. Audy Murphy (East Alton, IL), 9. Jimmy Glover (Alton, IL), 10. Tommy Gaither (Bunker Hill, IL),

Heat 2:1. Jake Trebilcock (Caseyville, IL), 2. Tony Frazier (Lebanon, IL), 3. Richie Gabriel (Jerseyville, IL), 4. Jacob Duke (St. Louis, MO), 5. Mark Crady (DeSoto, MO), 6. Tom Rorabacher (Imperial, MO), 7. Jerry Dean (Troy, MO), 8. Joe Giesler (St. Mary, MO), 9. Derick Bray (Owensville, MO),

Heat 3:1. Trey Harris (Hillsboro, MO), 2. Jeff Yates (Troy, MO), 3. Robbie Eilers (Highland, IL), 4. Dustin Homan (Marquand, MO), 5. Ryan Eilers (Highland, IL), 6. Doug Tye (Troy, IL), 7. Terry Bolin (Brighton, IL), 8. Jerry Warren (Alton, IL), 9. Jeff LeBaube (Dittmer, MO),

UMP Modifieds 5/1/2015
A-Main :1. Rusty Griffaw (Festus, MO), 2. Rick Stevenson (O’Fallon, MO), 3. Tyler Nicely (Owensboro, KY), 4. David Wietholder (Liberty, IL), 5. Steve Meyer Jr (Staunton, IL), 6. John Seets Sr (Brighton, IL), 7. Joe Walsh (Fenton, MO), 8. Dave Armstrong (Festus, MO), 9. Ray Walsh (Saint Louis, MO), 10. Kevin Graf (Hazelwood, MO), 11. Gary Bentley (St. Charles, MO), 12. Wes Kintz (St. Louis, MO), 13. David Chilton (Farmington, MO), 14. Kevin Lee (Granite City, IL), 15. Mark Enk (St. Ann, MO), 16. Jake Seets III (Brighton, IL), 17. Matt Mevert (Steeleville, IL), 18. Michael Long (Fowler, IL), 19. Rick Conoyer (Wentzvile, MO), 20. Terry Johnson (Winfield, MO), 21. Chris Smith (Highland, IL), 22. Bradley White (Bridgeton, MO),

Heat 1:1. Michael Long (Fowler, IL), 2. Rick Conoyer (Wentzvile, MO), 3. Dave Armstrong (Festus, MO), 4. Kevin Lee (Granite City, IL), 5. Bradley White (Bridgeton, MO), 6. Chris Smith (Highland, IL), 7. Mark Enk (St. Ann, MO), 8. Tyler Roberts (White Hall, IL),

Heat 2:1. Matt Mevert (Steeleville, IL), 2. Rick Stevenson (O’Fallon, MO), 3. Ray Walsh (Saint Louis, MO), 4. John Seets Sr (Brighton, IL), 5. Kevin Graf (Hazelwood, MO), 6. Steve Meyer Jr (Staunton, IL), 7. Wes Kintz (St. Louis, MO), 8. Bob Stanton (Godfrey, IL),

Heat 3:1. David Wietholder (Liberty, IL), 2. Tyler Nicely (Owensboro, KY), 3. Rusty Griffaw (Festus, MO), 4. Joe Walsh (Fenton, MO), 5. Jake Seets III (Brighton, IL), 6. David Chilton (Farmington, MO), 7. Gary Bentley (St. Charles, MO), 8. Terry Johnson (Winfield, MO),