Owens capitalizes as a front runner

LOCUST GROVE — In what has been a sizzling hot season, Jimmy Owens ended what passes for a cold spell Friday night at Batesville Motor Speedway.

Owens, of Newport, Tenn., led all 30 laps to win Friday’s preliminary feature of the Comp Cams Topless 100. The victory, coupled with a second-place finish in Thursday’s prelim, earned Owens the pole position for the 100lap main event, which was held late Saturday night.

It was the ninth victory with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series this season for Owens and the 73rd of his career. But he had led 157 of 180 laps in the three previous series events — including 28 of 30 on Thursday night at Batesville — without a victory to show for it.

But in Friday night’s 30-lap prelim, he started from the pole and was never seriously challenged. He survived a late restart and led second-place finisher Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., by 1.186 seconds at the checkered flag.

“I was afraid to step out in traffic,” said Owens, the 2014 and 2009 Topless winner. “I didn’t want to give up my track position. I wanted to see that last yellow because it gave us a clean track ahead.

“We hope to keep it rolling [Saturday night]. The track will be a different animal with a 100-lap race. They usually prep the track a little different and there won’t be as many laps on it before the feature. Hopefully it will hold up and be a good race.”

Defending series champion Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., whose car owner is Lance Landers of Batesville, finished third. Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, Tenn., was fourth, Kyle Bronson of Brandon, Fla., took fifth and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., finished sixth.

Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville finished 12th and that, along with a fifth-place showing Thursday, earned him the No. 8 starting spot in the main event. Moyer’s father, four-time winner Billy Moyer, finished 15th. The only other Arkansan to qualify for the prelim was Prattsville’s Timothy Culp, who finished 23rd.