Edition No. 25
May 28 - Lucas Oil Speedway, Wheatland, Mo. (Lucas Oil)
The story
The silver-anniversary weekend opened with 67 cars and a Cowboy Classic that tightened up when it mattered. Earl Pearson Jr. took the lead from Jesse Stovall on lap 15, but Scott Bloomquist kept closing as the laps disappeared. With four to go they were side by side for the lead. Pearson held him off, with Jimmy Owens and Tim McCreadie racing just behind them.
Friday delivered another race that changed late. Darrell Lanigan led the first 15 laps before Jimmy Owens took over, while Tim McCreadie worked forward from 10th. Heavy traffic brought McCreadie to Owens, and he made the deciding pass with 11 laps remaining. McCreadie pulled away after the final restart to win the Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson over Owens and Don O'Neal.
Rain pushed the 100-lapper from Saturday to Sunday, when the surface became rough enough to punish anyone who missed his marks. McCreadie led the first two laps before Pearson took over. For 84 straight circuits, Pearson looked like he might finish the sweep he started Thursday. Pierce was coming from 14th, running higher than the leaders and using a part of the track that offered speed only if a driver was willing to live with the consequences.
Pierce reached Pearson in the closing laps and drove around him in turns three and four on lap 87. He led the final 14 circuits and earned $30,000. Pearson settled for second, followed by McCreadie and Bloomquist. Jonathan Davenport came from 30th to fifth after taking the past champions provisional. At 20 years old, Pierce left Wheatland as the youngest Show-Me 100 winner the race had ever seen.
Story reconstructed from Sam Stoecklin's live reporting for RacinDirt.com and verified against published results.
Contemporary coverage
Official reports are summarized here and retained as part of the research trail.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesOfficial Thursday race report
The opening-night report documented Earl Pearson Jr. taking the lead from Jesse Stovall on lap 15, then holding off Scott Bloomquist through the closing laps.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesOfficial Friday race report
Tim McCreadie advanced from 10th, caught Jimmy Owens in traffic and took control with 11 laps remaining in the 40-lap preliminary feature.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesOfficial finale report
The Sunday report preserved Bobby Pierce's drive from 14th and his late pass of Earl Pearson Jr. in a rough, demanding silver-anniversary feature.
The complete event
Preliminary races and the finale are documented as separate parts of the event.
WinnerEarl Pearson Jr.
Pearson started fourth, passed Jesse Stovall for the lead on lap 15 and controlled the final 31 laps. Scott Bloomquist finished second and Jimmy Owens was third.
WinnerTim McCreadie
McCreadie started 10th, worked past Jimmy Owens in traffic and led the final 11 laps. Owens and Don O’Neal completed the podium.
Rain interrupted the scheduled feature night and moved the consolation races and 100-lap finale to Sunday.
WinnerJake O'Neil
O'Neil won the non-qualifiers race. Chase Junghans, Shannon Babb and Jack Sullivan won the three consolation races.
WinnerBobby Pierce
Pierce advanced from 14th, used a higher line than the leaders and passed Earl Pearson Jr. on lap 87. He led the final 14 laps to become the youngest winner in event history at age 20.
Licensed archive
Photographs are presented with permission and remain the property of their respective rights holders.
Pit-area preparations and the Cowboy Classic preliminary program.
Pit-area scenes and the Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson preliminary program.
Reuse or redistribution of these photographs is prohibited without permission from the photographer or rights holder.
Watch
Full main-event coverage of the 2017 Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway, hosted by ShowMeDirt on YouTube.
Player unavailable? Watch on YouTube ↗Official highlights from Bobby Pierce's charge from 14th to win the 2017 Show-Me 100, hosted by Lucas Oil Speedway on YouTube.
Player unavailable? Watch on YouTube ↗Research trail
Historical facts are compiled from linked records and original research. Third-party writing and imagery are not reproduced.