The story
Jimmy Owens had the fastest car all weekend, but the final laps of the 20th Show-Me 100 still forced him to fight for every inch of his second straight victory.
Friday began in 90-degree heat with 55 Late Models trying to reach a 29-car feature. Owens set overall Fast Time at 15.513 seconds and drove away with the opening heat. The rest of the qualifying program was anything but routine. Shannon Babb came from 11th to grab the final transfer in his heat, Jonathan Davenport also advanced from 11th, and Kevin Sather and Will Vaught crashed at the flagstand while racing for the last transfer spot. Both still made the show.
Owens controlled the start of Saturday's 100-lapper, but the race kept finding new ways to close back in on him. Sixteen-year-old Tyler Reddick climbed from seventh to second and was attacking the bottom when his engine failed after 16 laps. Jared Landers started 25th, reached third by lap 19 and drove past Owens on lap 49. His lead lasted only three circuits before power-steering trouble began pulling him backward through the field.
That should have settled it. Instead, the cushion became treacherous and Owens said the car was a handful. Dennis Erb Jr. stayed close, while John Blankenship came all the way from 27th. On the final restart Blankenship slid across Owens' nose in turn two and briefly appeared to have him. Owens crossed underneath, raced him down the backstretch and held the spot to the finish with Erb right behind them.
Owens collected $30,000 and became the fourth driver to win consecutive Show-Me 100s. Blankenship finished second, Erb third and Austin Hubbard charged from 29th to fourth in his first Lucas Oil Speedway appearance. It looked dominant in the lap-leader column, with Owens credited for 97 of 100, but it did not feel dominant when the checkered flag was finally in sight.
Story reconstructed from official Lucas Oil Speedway and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series press releases distributed May 25 and 26, 2012, and verified against the published feature results.