MANSFIELD, Ohio - Earl Pearson, Jr. added the Inaugural Dirt Million at Ohio’s Mansfield Motor Speedway to his impressive list of career victories.
His late-race pass around Bobby Pierce allowed him to take home the $202,993.50 first-place prize in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Pearson was the sixth and final leader of the 100-lap event.
Pearson started 19th on the grid and pitted twice during the race. The first time was after receiving damage in a multi-car accident early in the race. He began his surge through the pack late in the race. A caution flag with eleven laps to go helped, eliminating the gap that Pierce had managed to gain over the field.
Pierce started 22nd and charged through the field quickly. He was leading with eleven laps to go when the final caution of the race appeared. Pierce then relinquished the lead to Pearson but mounted several challenges on the leader in the waning laps. He ultimately found himself on the podium one spot short of the pinnacle, finishing in second. Gregg Satterlee also charged from the rear of the field to take third. Ricky Weiss and Scott Bloomquist completed the top five finishers.
“Well, first off I want to thank Bobby Pierce,” Pearson said. “With this kind of money on the line he could have pulled a slide-job on me, but he raced me clean. He is a class act. He is going to win a lot of money in his career. Thanks to all the fans here. The kind of money that the track put up for this race is amazing, and it’s a great thing for this sport. I can’t say enough about my crew.
“I got in that wreck down in turn one early on, and I kept coming in and they kept working on the car each time. I knew once I got to the front that their work had paid off. They gave me a shot at the win, and I attribute our success tonight to all of their hard work and not giving up. I would like to thank Ronnie Stuckey, Garrett Alberson, and J.C. Wright, and everybody else on the car that helps.”
The race saw six different leaders attempting to make a career-best payday. Don O’Neal, Ricky Weiss, Shannon Babb. Jimmy Owens, Pierce and Pearson all took turns at the top spot.
Sheppard, Steve Casebolt, Dale McDowell, Darrell Lanigan and Max Blair rounded out the top ten.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Mansfield Motor Speedway – Mansfield, OH
Dirt Million – August 25, 2018
| FINISH | START | CAR # | DRIVER NAME | HOMETOWN | EARNINGS |
| 1 | 17 | 1 | Earl Pearson, Jr. | Jacksonville, FL | $203,739.50 |
| 2 | 22 | 32 | Bobby Pierce | Oakwood, IL | $41,287.90 |
| 3 | 16 | 22 | Gregg Satterlee | Indiana, PA | $20,993.95 |
| 4 | 3 | 7w | Ricky Weiss | Headingley, MB | $12,176.37 |
| 5 | 18 | 0 | Scott Bloomquist | Mooresburg, TN | $8,917.58 |
| 6 | 12 | 1S | Brandon Sheppard | New Berlin, IL | $7,711.70 |
| 7 | 24 | C9 | Steve Casebolt | Richmond, IN | $7,305.82 |
| 8 | 10 | 17m | Dale McDowell | Chickamauga, GA | $6,899.94 |
| 9 | 8 | 14 | Darrell Lanigan | Union, KY | $7,397.00 |
| 10 | 15 | 111 | Max Blair | Centerville, PA | $6,494.06 |
| 11 | 6 | 157 | Mike Marlar | Winfield, TN | $6,291.12 |
| 12 | 13 | 91 | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | $6,088.19 |
| 13 | 9 | 18 | Shannon Babb | Mowequa, IL | $5,885.25 |
| 14 | 20 | 28 | Dennis Erb, Jr. | Carpentersville, IL | $6,382.31 |
| 15 | 11 | 30 | Brian Birkhofer | Muscatine, IA | $5,479.37 |
| 16 | 27 | 14H | Tyler Horst | Waynesboro, PA | $5,276.43 |
| 17 | 19 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | $5,873.49 |
| 18 | 23 | 22F | Chris Ferguson | Mount Holly, NC | $4,870.55 |
| 19 | 5 | 1R | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | $5,464.67 |
| 20 | 25 | 1m | Ben Mott | White Lake, MI | $4,424.08 |
| 21 | 21 | 2H | Nick Hoffman | Mooresville, NC | $4,383.49 |
| 22 | 28 | 36 | Matt Irey | Ashland, OH | $4,302.32 |
| 23 | 2 | 25Z | Mason Zeigler | Chalk Hill, PA | $4,939.97 |
| 24 | 7 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | $4,958.79 |
| 25 | 14 | 18J | Chase Junghans | Manhattan, KS | $4,058.79 |
| 26 | 1 | 5 | Don O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | $4,858.79 |
| 27 | 26 | 28C | Tyler Carpenter | Parkersburg, WV | $4,058.79 |
| 28 | 4 | 9 | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH | $4,058.79 |
