Three former winners, two drivers who have never made the main event and a veteran who has seen little but frustration at the event were the big winners Friday night during preliminary action for the 23rd annual Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway.
Time trials and qualifying heat races were held Friday night. The top three finishers from each of the six races advanced to the $40,000-to-win main event, which was held late Saturday night. The remainder of the starting field were set Saturday in last-chance qualifiers.
Topless 100
LOCUST GROVE — Friday night’s results from the 23rd annual Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway. Time trials results set the starting lineups for the six heat races. The top three finishers from the heats qualified for Saturday night’s main event. Others moved to last-chance qualifiers.
Others to earn starting spots Friday night were Davenport, 2003 winner Shannon Babb of Moweaquah, Ill., Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., 1998 winner Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, W.Va., Jonesboro’s Hunter Rasdon, 2013 winner Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., four-time winner Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., Batesville’s Billy Moyer Jr., Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., and Jesse Stovall of Billings, Mo.
TIME TRIALS
1. Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, Ga.;13.343 seconds (101.177 mph)
2. Mike Marlar, Winfield, Tenn.;13.435
3. Hunter Rasdon, Jonesboro;13.447
4. Jimmy Owens, Newport, Tenn.;13.448
5. Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, Tenn.;13.473
6. Earl Pearson Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.;13.486
7. Wendell Wallace, Batesville;13.560
8. Chris Brown, Spring, Texas;13.595
9. Don O’Neal, Martinsville, Ind.;13.656
10. Jeremy Payne, Springfield, Mo.;13.661
11. Jared Landers, Batesville;13.686
12. Steve Francis, Ashland, Ky.;13.713
13. Jesse Stovall, Billings. Mo.;13.720
14. Dale McDowell, Chicakamauga, Ga.;13.722
15. Dwight Falcon, Walker, La.;13.741
16. Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo.;13.790
17. Billy Moyer Jr., Batesville;13.804
18. Garrett Alberson, Las Cruces, N.M.;13.866
19. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, Ill.;13.889
20. Shannon Babb, Moweaquah, Ill.;13.906
21. Chris Simpson, Oxford, Iowa;13.972
22. Robbie Stuart, DeRidder, La.;13.973
23. Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas;13.981
24. Larry Campbell, Van Buren;13.988
25. Allen Tippen, Minden, La.;14.008
26. Eddie Carrier Jr., Salt Rock, W.Va.;14.010
27. Brandon Smith, Floral;14.038
28. Tyler Erb, Magnolia, Texas;14.071
29. Robert Baker, Bryant;14.093
30. Tony Jackson Jr., Lebanon, Mo.;14.105
31. Kyle Beard, Trumann;14.113
32. Brad Looney, Republic, Mo.;14.167
33. Chandler Petty, Cabot;14.219
34. Timothy Culp, Sheridan;14.227
35.Ray Moore, Shreveport;14.245
36. Gavin Landers, Batesville;14.251
37. Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, Ill.;14.317
38. Stacy Taylor, Jacksonville;14.321
39. Clay Fisher, Dewitt;14.348
40. Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa;14.378
41. B.J. Robinson, Shreveport;14.379
42. Shannon Scott, Henryetta, Okla.;14.399
43. Raymond Merrill, Sallisaw, Okla.;14.406
44. Travis Ashley, Cabot;14.414
45. Jack Sullivan, Greenbrier;14.422
46. Austin Siebert, Grandview, Mo.;14.457
47. Tommy Surrett, North Little Rock;14.462
48. Payton Looney, Republic, Mo.;14.494
49. Shane Harris, Sheridan;14.554
50. Billy Moyer, Batesville;14.640
51. Jamie Elam, Senatobia, Miss.;14.645
52. Cole Farmer, Glenwood;14.680
53. David Payne, Cabot;14.737
54. Austin Rettig, Sikeston, Mo.;14.867
55. Charlie LaPlant, East Prairie, Mo.;14.940
56. Robby Moore, Paragould;15.027
HEAT RACES
(Top three finishers advance to main event.)
FIRST HEAT 1. Pearson; 2. Davenport; 3. Babb; 4. Francis; 5. Mitchell.
SECOND HEAT 1. McDowell; 2. Marlar; 3. Wallace; 4. Simpson; 5. Siebert.
THIRD HEAT 1. Brown; 2. Carrier; 3. Rasdon; 4. Payne; 5. Stuart.
FOURTH HEAT 1. Owens; 2. Phillips; 3. Sheppard; 4. Payne; 5. Petty.
FIFTH HEAT 1. J.Landers; 2. Bloomquist; 3. Moyer Jr.; 4. Taylor; 5. Tippen.
SIXTH HEAT 1. Alberson; 2. O’Neal; 3. Stovall; 4. T.Erb; 5. Beard.
Batesville's Jared Landers, the 2010 Topless winner, Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., the 2014 and 2009 winner, and 2004 winner Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., won heats Friday night. In a draw among all the heat winners, Landers drew the pole position for the main event.
Landers was joined on the front row by Chris Brown of Spring, Texas, who won his heat to earn his first Topless start. Garrett Alberson of Las Cruces, N.M., also won a heat and qualified for his first Topless 100.
Veteran Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., won a heat and qualified for his ninth Topless main event, but his only top-five finishes were a fifth in 2013 and a third in 2010.
Johnathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who finished third last year and has been the hottest driver in dirt late model racing this season, set quick time in qualifying with a lap of 13.343 seconds at 101.177 mph. His lap was just two-thousandths of a second quicker than Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn.
Sports on 08/16/2015