PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (Oct. 19) — Tallying the most passing points in Friday night's double-heat qualifying program, Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., earned the pole position for Saturday's 38th annual Rhino Ag Dirt Track World Championship feature at Portsmouth Raceway Park.

Shirley came off the outside pole to win his first-round heat and shot forward from the ninth starting spot to finish third in his Round 2 prelim, putting him at the top of the passing points standings to lock into the catbird's seat for the $100,000-to-win finale.

Sharing the front row with Shirley in Saturday evening's 100-lapper will be 2018 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who registered a pair of runner-up finishes in his heat races.

Final passing points

1. Brian Shirley - 122.320
2. Jonathan Davenport - 120.560
3. Ricky Thornton Jr. - 116.560
4. Dennis Erb Jr. - 114.800
5. Josh Richards- 112.560
6. Gregg Satterlee - 109.040
7. Mike Marlar - 109.040
8. Eddie Carrier Jr. - 109.040
9. Jared Hawkins - 107.280
10. Don O’Neal - 105.040
11. Brandon Overton - 105.040
12. Jason Covert - 105.040
13. Boom Briggs - 103.280
14. Brandon Sheppard - 103.280
15. Tim McCreadie - 103.280
16. Shannon Thornsberry- 101.520

Fifth heat

With the front-row starters racing side-by-side down the backstretch, Shannon Thornsberry slid ahead of Chub Frank out of turn four to take an early lead. As the top three cars maintained their positions at the halfway mark, ninth-starting Brian Shirley overtook Billy Gullion for fourth. Shirley continued his charge late-race, taking third on the ninth circuit. Holding off Frank, Thornsberry won the heat, with Shirley running third.

Finish: Shannon Thornsberry, Chub Frank, Brian Shirley, Ricky Thornton Jr., Stephen Breeding, Billy Gullion, Dale McDowell, Mike Benedum, Colton Flinner, Ronnie Whitt.

Fourth heat

Polesitter Brandon Fouts led the opening lap, with a yellow flag waving on the first circuit when Josh Bocook slowed in the top of turn three. Jonathan Davenport used the restart to his advantage, overtaking Kyle Bronson for second. Dennis Erb Jr. was on the move early, improving from the tail of the field to challenge Bronson for third on lap three. Never seriously challenged for the lead, Fouts won the heat. Davenport finished second, with Erb overtaking Bronson at the line to run third.

Finish: Brandon Fouts, Jonathan Davenport, Dennis Erb Jr., Kyle Bronson, Rod Conley, Zack Dohm, Charlie Jude, Josh Bocook. Scratched: Austyn Mills.

Third heat

Polesitter Brandon Overton charged to an early lead, with Eddie Carrier Jr. and Gregg Satterlee battling for third in the opening laps. With Overton holding a comfortable lead at the halfway mark, it was a tight battle for sixth between Jason Jameson and Darrell Lanigan. Second-running Jason Covert began reeling in Overton late-race but was never able to make a pass for the lead. Overton won the heat with Covert finishing second. Carrier rounded out the podium in third.

Finish: Brandon Overton, Jason Covert, Eddie Carrier Jr., Gregg Satterlee, Earl Pearson Jr., Darrell Lanigan, Jason Jameson, Doug Drown, Lee Logan. Scratched: Jackie Boggs.

Second heat

Polesitter Scott Bloomqusit shot to the front of the field at the drop of the green flag, with fellow front-row starter Devin Moran in tow. It was Mike Marlar on the move in the early running, advancing from the eighth starting spot to run in fifth by the fourth lap. Bloomquist stretched his lead to a half straightaway at the halfway point, with Moran and third-running Tim McCreadie maintain their positions. Bloomquist won the heat, with Moran and McCreadie rounding out the podium.

Finish: Scott Bloomquist, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Jared Hawkins, Mike Marlar, Chris Ferguson, Chase Junghans, Colten Burdette, R.J. Conley.

First heat

Powering ahead of fellow front-row starter Josh Richards out of turn two, Brandon Sheppard edged ahead at the line to lead the opening lap. The pair battled through the early running, with Sheppard maintaining the advantage. The top-two cars distanced themselves from the field at the halfway mark, with Boom Briggs running a solid third. Pulling away late-race, Sheppard won the heat, with Richards finishing second. Robbie Scott edged out Briggs out of turn four to run third.

Finish: Brandon Sheppard, Josh Richards, Robbie Scott, Boom Briggs, Bobby Pierce, Don O’Neal, Jimmy Owens, Dave Hess Jr., Jose Parga. Scratched: Ben Adkins.

Second round heat lineups

First heat
Row 1: Josh Richards, Brandon Sheppard
Row 2: Boom Briggs, Bobby Pierce
Row 3: Robbie Scott, Jimmy Owens
Row 4: Jose Parga, Don O’Neal
Row 5: Dave Hess Jr.
Second heat
Row 1: Scott Bloomquist, Devin Moran
Row 2: Tim McCreadie, Jared Hawkins
Row 3: Chris Ferguson, Chase Junghans
Row 4: Colten Burdette, Mike Marlar
Row 5: R.J. Conley, Delmas Conley
Third heat
Row 1: Brandon Overton, Lee Logan
Row 2: Jason Covert, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 3: Jackie Boggs, Gregg Satterlee
Row 4: Darrell Lanigan, Eddie Carrier Jr.
Row 5: Doug Drown, Jason Jameson
Fourth heat
Row 1: Brandon Fouts, Josh Bocook
Row 2: Kyle Bronson, R.J. Conley
Row 3: Jonathan Davenport, Austyn Mills
Row 4: Charlie Jude, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 5: Zack Dohm
Fifth heat
Row 1: Chub Frank, Shannon Thornsberry
Row 2: Stephen Breeding, Billy Gullion
Row 3: Mike Benedum, Colton Flinner
Row 4: Ronnie Whitt, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 5: Brian Shirley, Dale McDowell

Fifth heat

Edging ahead of fellow front-row starter Doug Drown down the backstretch, outside polesitter Mike Marlar led the opening lap. It was Tim McCreadie on the move early, advancing from seventh to run in fourth by the fourth circuit. Marlar stretched his lead to nearly a full straightaway at the halfway mark, as fifth-starting Jonathan Davenport challenged Drown for second. Marlar won the heat, with Davenport overtaking Drown on the final lap to finish second.

Finish: Mike Marlar, Jonathan Davenport, Doug Drown, Tim McCreadie, Earl Pearson Jr., Brandon Sheppard, Colton Flinner, Chub Frank, Jose Parga.

Fourth heat

With Zack Dohm and Eddie Carrier Jr. in tow, polesitter Dale McDowell took an early lead. A yellow flag waved on the second circuit when Colten Burdette slowed in turns three and four. Using momentum from the restart, 10th-starting Josh Richards shot to fourth, battling Jason Covert for position. McDowell held a comfortable lead the halfway point, with Dohm attempting to reel in the race leader. The race for fourth continued in the final laps, with Richards and Covert running side-by-side. McDowell won the heat, with Dohm finishing second. Carrier ran third.

Finish: Dale McDowell, Zack Dohm, Eddie Carrier Jr., Josh Richards, Jason Covert, Rod Conley, Jimmy Owens, Colten Burdette, Mike Benedum, Devin Moran.

Third heat

Shooting ahead down the backstretch, outside polesitter Brian Shirley edged ahead of Dave Hess Jr. to lead the opening lap. Hess fell back to third on the following circuit as Dennis Erb Jr. powered ahead in turns one and two to take second. Shirley maintained his lead at the halfway mark, with Erb closing the gap between himself and the race leader. Shirley won the heat, with Erb and Darrell Lanigan rounding out the podium.

Finish: Brian Shirley, Dennis Erb Jr., Darrell Lanigan, Chase Junghans, Robbie Scott, Kyle Bronson, Scott Bloomquist, Dave Hess Jr., Billy Gullion, Lee Logan.

Second heat

Polesitter Delmas Conley took an early lead, as Ricky Thornton Jr. and Gregg Satterlee raced side-by-side for second in the early running. With Thornton shooting ahead out of turns one and two, Conley nearly got sideways in turns three and four on the second circuit, falling back to mid-field and eventually retiring early. Holding a comfortable lead, Thornton won the heat, with Satterlee finishing second. Advancing from the seventh starting spot, Bobby Pierce finished third.

Finish: Ricky Thornton Jr., Gregg Satterlee, Bobby Pierce, Chris Ferguson, Ben Adkins, Brandon Overton, Stephen Breeding, Charlie Jude, Josh Bocook, Delmas Conley.

First heat

Polesitter Jason Jameson charged to the lead at the drop of the green flag, with third-starting Don O’Neal powering ahead out of turn four to assume the point on the second circuit. As O’Neal stretched his lead at the halfway mark, Jared Hawkins attempted to reel in second-running Jameson. O’Neal won the heat, with Hawkins and Boom Briggs shooting ahead of Jameson down the backstretch on the final lap to round out the podium in second and third.

Finish: Don O’Neal, Jared Hawkins, Boom Briggs, Jason Jameson. R.J. Conley, Shannon Thornsberry, Brandon Fouts, Ronnie Whitt. Scratched: Jackie Boggs, Austyn Mills.

Pre-race notes

The 38th annual Rhino Ag Dirt Track World Championship weekend kicks off with a double-heat qualifying program on an increasingly cloudy Friday night. Temperatures have been in the low 60s throughout the afternoon, but officials are aware that a cold front bringing rain is expected to pass over Portsmouth this evening with precipitation chances rising after 8 p.m. … A 49-car field is signed in for the action. Last year’s event drew 72 cars, which was the lowest car count — by seven entries — since the 53-car field for the 2010 DTWC at West Virginia Motor Speedway. … Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., has no points pressure hanging over his head this weekend since he’s already officially clinched the 2018 Lucas Oil Series championship, his second in the last four years on the national tour. … Mason Zeigler of Chalk Hill, Pa., has already secured 2018 Lucas Oil Series Rookie of the Year honors. With his pregnant wife Amber suffering health problems, he elected for forgo this weekend's DTWC. … Chris Ferguson of Mt. Holly, N.C., unloaded his car out of a trailer that still sports a upper-deck cover with the Bob Cullen Racing logo; he recently bought the rig from from Brian Shirley’s car owner and used it for the first time last weekend at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. … Shirley said Cullen has a new transporter on order; he borrowed a toterhome and trailer from an Illinois open-wheel modified team to tow his machinery to PRP. … Boom Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., met up with his cousin and teammate, Chub Frank, in the PRP pit area after driving north from The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., where he spent Wednesday testing with several drivers, including Davenport and Chris Madden. … When Gregg Satterlee of Indiana, Pa., climbs in his car for the evening’s action, his ears might be still be ringing — on Thursday night he attended a Metallica concert in Pittsburgh with some buddies.

First round heat lineups

First heat
Row 1: Jason Jameson, R.J. Conley
Row 2: Don O’Neal, Ronnie Whitt
Row 3: Austyn Mills, Jackie Boggs
Row 4: Jared Hawkins, Boom Briggs
Row 5: Shannon Thornsberry, Brandon Fouts
Second heat
Row 1: Delmas Conley, Ben Adkins
Row 2: Ricky Thornton Jr., Charlie Jude
Row 3: Gregg Satterlee, Chris Ferguson
Row 4: Bobby Pierce, Stephen Breeding
Row 5: Josh Bocook, Brandon Overton
Third heat
Row 1: Dave Hess Jr., Brian Shirley
Row 2: Dennis Erb Jr., Darrell Lanigan
Row 3: Chase Junghans, Robbie Scott
Row 4: Billy Gullion, Kyle Bronson
Row 5: Lee Logan, Scott Bloomquist
Fourth heat
Row 1: Dale McDowell, Zack Dohm
Row 2: Eddie Carrier Jr., Colten Burdette
Row 3: Jimmy Owens, Mike Benedum
Row 4: Rod Conley, Jason Covert
Row 5: Devin Moran, Josh Richards
Fifth heat
Row 1: Doug Drown, Mike Marlar
Row 2: Jose Parga, Colton Flinner
Row 3: Jonathan Davenport, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 4: Tim McCreadie, Brandon Sheppard
Row 5: Chub Frank

Pre-race setup

For the seventh straight year, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will wrap up its season at Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park. The 38th annual Dirt Track World Championship kicked off on Thursday night with modified time trials, heat races and consolations.

The Late Model portion of the event gets under way on Friday night and will once again use a double-heat race format. Passing points will determine the lineups for Saturday’s consolations and 100-lap, $100,000-to-win main event. Heat races will be lined up by random draw and lap counts will vary based on the number of cars plus two laps.

Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., enters the weekend as the defending DTWC winner. Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., has already clinched the 2018 Lucas Oil Series championship.

Late Model consolations will be contested Saturday, setting the remainder of the feature field not locked in through passing points. Saturday’s schedule also includes the Jim Dunn Memorial non-qualifiers’ race and the $4,000-to-win modified feature.

Roster (alphabetical)

Ben Adkins (21), West Portsmouth, Ohio
Mike Benedum (25B), Salem, W.Va.
Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn.
Josh Bocook (B1), Wheelersburg, Ohio
Jackie Boggs (4B), Grayson, Ky.
Stephen Breeding (99Bx), Isom, Ky.
Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa.
Kyle Bronson (40B0, Brandon, Fla.
Colten Burdette (44), Parkersburg, W.Va.
Eddie Carrier Jr. (10), Salt Rock, W.Va.
Delmas Conley (71d), Wheelersburg, Ohio
R.J. Conley (71c), Wheelersburg, Ohio
Rod Conley (71R), Wheelersburg, Ohio
Jason Covert (72C), York Haven, Pa.
Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga.
Zack Dohm (17), Cross Lanes, W.Va.
Doug Drown (12d), Wooster, Ohio
Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill.
Chris Ferguson (22), Mount Holly, N.C.
Colton Flinner (4T8), Allison Park, Pa.
Brandon Fouts (81), Kite, Ky.
Chub Frank (1*), Bear Lake, Pa.
Billy Gullion (11G), Waverly, Ohio
Jared Hawkins (11), Fairmont, W.Va.
Dave Hess Jr. (44), Waterford, Pa.
Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind.
Charlie Jude (CJ1), Inez, Ky.
Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan.
Darrell Lanigan (14), Union, Ky.
Lee Logan (11L), Ashland, Ky.
Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn.
Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y.
Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga.
Austyn Mills (1AM), Alexandria, Ky.
Devin Moran (9), Dresden, Ohio
Don O’Neal (5), Martinsville, Ind.
Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga.
Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn.
Jose Parga (6P), New Berlin, Ill.
Earl Pearson Jr. (1), Jacksonville, Fla.
Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill.
Josh Richards (1), Shinnston, W.Va.
Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa.
Robbie Scott (18S), Shinnston, W.Va.
Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill.
Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill.
Shannon Thornsberry (17), Martin, Ky.
Ricky Thornton Jr. (20RT), Chandler, Ariz.
Ronnie Whitt (11R), Portsmouth, Ohio