Stone wins $6K for Firecracker 100 A-Main feature
BUFFALO TWP — Sometimes Big Brother is watching, sometimes he isn't.
Dan Stone, the Thompson resident known for the moniker, was focused more on what was ahead and not so much what was behind him at Friday's A-Main feature in the second day of the World of Outlaws Late Models Firecracker 100.
Stone, who led from the start of the 30-lap feature — which he pocketed $6,000 as well as a front row starting spot in one of Saturday's heat races — held off a fast-charging Scott Bloomquist, who won Thursday's qualifier.
“I never actually saw (Bloomquist), but we were in a bunch of lapped traffic,” said Stone, who won only his second World of Outlaws race (the other was five years ago) and first at Lernerville Speedway. “It sounded like someone was outside. I might have been patient with the lapped cars.
“It's hard (to know) when you're in the lead because you don't know where you're running,” he added.
Stone and Brady Smith, of Solon Springs, Wis., were running 1-2 for a majority of the race until Bloomquist took over second with 10 laps to go.
Stone was enjoying a 1.59-second lead with nine laps remaining before Bloomquist sliced it to 1.1 seconds one lap later.
With five laps to go, Bloomquist trailed by just one-half second and from there, Stone kept him at bay and never gave him a clean line up on top.
“We're making some strides,” Smith said, “We were eighth (Thursday) and were third (Friday). Hopefully, we can make the correct changes.”
That apparently was something Stone did Friday. Stone won his heat easily and parlayed it into a strong A-Main race.
“There was traction on the bottom, but for 30 laps, I didn't think it was going to last,” Stone said. “We needed to be where Scott was. He had the harder rear tire than us.
“We made several little changes, nothing huge. Little tweaks, a couple spacers, we took another two washers out,” Stone added.
And with 27 cars in the A-Main, there wasn't a lot of room to maneuver, so Stone had that working for him as well.
“I wasn't that concerned because everyone was using most of the track,” Stone said. “I knew it would be hard for anyone to pass. I wanted to try and not do anything stupid.”
The win was even more sweet because his father, Warren, was in attendance.
“It's pretty awesome when someone's here and you pull it off,” Stone said. “I think my dad puts us in good equipment. It's a tough gig, the wins are few and far between.”
Notes: There were 56 cars in the pits Friday after 57 on Thursday ... After the hot laps, a light rain and lightning delayed the heat races, B-Mains and feature race for almost two hours ... Stone finished 20th in Thursday's feature race ... Tyler Reddick had turned in the fastest hot lap time Friday with a 16.386 seconds, just three-tenths of a second ahead of Jamie Lathroum (16.416).
World of Outlaws Late Models30 laps1. Dan Stone (Thompson), 2. Scott Bloomquist (Mooresburg, Tenn.), 3. Brady Smith (Solon Springs, Wisc.), 4. Tim McCreadie (Watertown N.Y.), 5. Tyler Reddick (DuQuoin, Ill.), 6. Jimmy Mars (Menomonie, Wisc.), 7. Gregg Satterlee (Rochester Mills), 8. Bub McCool (Vicksburg, Miss.), 9. Vic Coffey (Caledonia, N.Y.), 10. Rick Eckert (York), 11. Dale McDowell (Chickamauga, Ga.), 12. Mike Marlar (Winfield, Tenn.), 13. Tim Fuller (Watertown, N.Y.), 14. John Garvin Jr. (Sarver), 15. Austin Hubbard (Seaford, Del.)Heat 11. Tyler Reddick (DuQuoin, Ill.), 2. Bub McCool (Vicksburg, Miss.), 3. Chub Frank (Bear Lake)Heat 21. Jimmy Mars (Menomonie, Wisc.), 2. Jamie Lathroum (Mechanicsville, Md.), 3. Rick Eckert (York, Pa.)Heat 31. Tim McCreadie (Watertown, N.Y.), 2. Scott Bloomquist (Mooresburg, Tenn.), 3. Shane Clanton (Fayetteville, Ga.)Heat 41. Dan Stone (Thompson), 2. Bump Hedman (Sugar Grove), 3. Dale McDowell (Chickamauga, Ga.)Heat 51. Brady Smith (Solon Springs, Wisc.), 2. John Garvin Jr. (Sarver), 3. Jack Sullivan (Greenbrier, Ark.)Heat 61. Gregg Satterlee (Rochester Mills), 2. Vic Coffey (Caledonia, N.Y.), 3. Mike Marlar (Winfield, Tenn.)B-Main 11. Ron Davies (Warren), 2. Austin Hubbard (Seaford, Del.)B-Main 21. Pat Doar (New Richmond, Wisc.), 2. Eddie Carrier Jr. (Salt Rock, W.V.)B-Main 31. Jared Miley (South Park), 2. Tim Fuller (Watertown, N.Y.)
