WIRE TO WIRE: McCreadie uses strong start, adaptability to win at Richmond Raceway
The 2006 Series Champion won his 33rd career World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Feature
RICHMOND, KY– April 23, 2021 – Uncertainty fluttered in Tim McCreadie’s mind before the start of Friday night’s World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Feature at Richmond Raceway.
He would see the drop of the green flag from his outside pole starting position, but doubts possessed his confidence in the position with Chris Madden on the pole. However, it only took a lap for those doubts to be exorcised.
The 2006 Series champion bested Madden on the first lap from the outside lane and never released his stronghold on the lead for all 40 laps.
“I knew [Madden] was really good and I wasn’t going to be able to snooker him, so I thought let’s just roll the top and see if there’s anything up there,” McCreadie said.
After passing Madden, the Watertown, NY driver tried to find comfort around the bottom of the track, but Madden again forced McCreadie to place doubt on his line by making up ground around the top.
With Madden on his tail, McCreadie returned to the top to kill the 29-time Series winner’s momentum.
“[Madden] moved up and started getting back to me, and my crew moved me up, and that’s when I noticed the sticks started moving farther apart again,” McCreadie said. “At that point I knew once [the track] latched down I’d probably be OK.”
And OK, he was. McCreadie was the first to see the checkered flag and claim his 33rd career World of Outlaws victory. He’s now tied for seventh on the all-time win list with 2004 Series champion Scott Bloomquist.
While Madden had to settle for second, the podium continues his promising consistency. The finish was his fifth top-five of the season. Even though he had a shot at passing McCreadie in traffic, he knew second was the best he could do once the track took rubber.
“[McCreadie] was able to get back to the bottom, and we just couldn’t complete the pass,” Madden said. “His guys did a great job moving him around, getting him into the right position.”
One of the drivers who worked the outside of the racetrack early in the race was third-place finisher Scott James. The Bright, IN driver started eighth, and quickly went up high, moving up five positions.
“In the [pace] laps I felt like there was some traction up there,” James said. “The car was phenomenal; it would just roll right around the top.”
Ricky Weiss finished fourth, for his second-straight top-five finish, and Tyler Bruening finished fifth.
Three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard crossed the line ninth, for his eighth top-10 of the season. That’s more than any other driver on the Series. The New Berlin, IL driver still holds the point lead, but now there’s a tie for second place.
The bad luck continued for Mooresville, NC driver Kyle Strickler, when his hood popped up with just three laps to go. The “High Side Tickler” finished 22nd, dropping him into a tie with Madden, 46 points behind Sheppard.
UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on The Planet head to Boone Speedway in Boone, IA for the inaugural Hawkeye 100 April 30-May 1.
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Morton Buildings Feature (40 Laps)-1. 39-Tim McCreadie [2][$10,000]; 2. 44-Chris Madden [1][$6,000]; 3. 83-Scott James [8][$3,500]; 4. 7-Ricky Weiss [4][$2,800]; 5. 16-Tyler Bruening [3][$2,500]; 6. B1-Brent Larson [5][$2,300]; 7. 76-Brandon Overton [12][$2,200]; 8. 17-Zack Dohm [6][$2,100]; 9. 1-Brandon Sheppard [9][$2,050]; 10. 81E-Tanner English [10][$2,000]; 11. 58-Mike [14][$1,600]; 12. 32-Bobby Pierce [16][$1,400]; 13. 97-Cade Dillard [11][$1,200]; 14. 12-Jason Jameson [24][$1,100]; 15. 31-Tyler Millwood [19][$1,050]; 16. 21-Kirk Phillips [18][$1,000]; 17. 40B-Kyle Bronson [23][$1,000]; 18. 28-Dennis Erb [20][$1,000]; 19. 97C-Michael Chilton [13][$1,000]; 20. 11-Tommy Bailey [21][$1,000]; 21. 99B-Boom Briggs [17][$1,000]; 22. 8-Kyle Strickler [15][$1,000]; 23. 99L-Darrell Lanigan [22][$1,000]; 24. D8-Dustin Linville [7][$1,000] Hard Charger: 12-Jason Jameson[+10]
Qualifying Flight-A – 1. 44-Chris Madden, 15.329; 2. 83-Scott James, 15.563; 3. 17-Zack Dohm, 15.583; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie, 15.586; 5. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 15.587; 6. 8-Kyle Strickler, 15.656; 7. 97C-Michael Chilton, 15.664; 8. 97-Cade Dillard, 15.669; 9. 38-Derek Fisher, 15.688; 10. 99L-Darrell Lanigan, 15.739; 11. 21-Kirk Phillips, 15.822; 12. 31-Tyler Millwood, 15.831; 13. 1G-Ryan King, 15.843; 14. 13W-David Webb, 15.895; 15. 40B-Kyle Bronson, 16.062
Qualifying Flight-B- 1. 11-Tommy Bailey, 15.491; 2. 76-Brandon Overton, 15.523; 3. 81E-Tanner English, 15.586; 4. 7-Ricky Weiss, 15.607; 5. 16-Tyler Bruening, 15.664; 6. B1-Brent Larson, 15.692; 7. D8-Dustin Linville, 15.714; 8. 32-Bobby Pierce, 15.757; 9. 12-Jason Jameson, 15.759; 10. 16R-Justin Rattliff, 15.802; 11. 99B-Boom Briggs, 15.803; 12. 28-Dennis Erb, 15.819; 13. 58-Mike , 16.013; 14. 13-Brayton Laster, 17.062