Brandon Overton kicked off his fourth World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models start of the season in style on Wednesday at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Overton’s 15.091-second time in qualifying for Thursday’s first night of World of Outlaws World Finals action was tops among 74 drivers. Overton bested Mike Marlar by a scant .026 seconds to claim quick time honors.
Scott Bloomquist, the 2004 series champion, turned back the clock on Wednesday. Less than two weeks before his 60th birthday, Bloomquist posted a 15.648-second lap that held up as the fastest of all qualifying attempts for Friday’s features.
After he completed qualifying laps for Friday, Bobby Pierce clinched his first World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model championship on the strength of 14 wins and 31 top-10 finishes in the season’s first 35 races. Pierce was 13th fastest overall for Thursday’s time trials and 26th for Friday’s session.
Sheldon Haudenschild posted a scorching, 13.694-second lap to emerge quickest among all World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars drivers in qualifying for Thursday. Brent Marks was fastest in Friday’s set of time trials, lapping in 14.149 seconds to earn quick time honors.
Jimmy Phelps led the way among 45 Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified competitors for Thursday, with a 16.296-second lap in the first of two groups to tour Charlotte’s high-speed, four-tenths-mile clay oval. Matt Sheppard was quickest in qualifying for Friday’s race, lapping the track in 16.676 seconds.
Race fans from 49 states and six foreign countries have descended on The Dirt Track at Charlotte for this weekend’s festivities, with clear skies expected for the remaining three days of action. Fans can lock in single-day and three-day ticket packages, plus pit passes and camping, by shopping online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
