Topless 100

Landers moves to main event

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

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