The Great Pittsburgher 100 Roundtable

The Lucas Oil Late Model Series points chase is tighter than a.....................well we won't finish that unique analogy, but you can guess that it's tight. Besides every other dirt racing news outlet has already let you know how tight it is.  However, it is time for the Pittsburgher 100! It's one of our favorite events of the entire year as one of the toughest Late Model fields in the country battle it out on the "Monster Half Mile".

The legendary surface at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania's Motor Speedway lends itself to wide open, three and four wide action in every turn, and on lap. And there's lots of ways the action could come to a conclusion when the checkered flag falls. Expect the electricity in the air and an atmosphere in the crowd that could border on pandemonium at times with the closeness of the points taken into consideration.

So what do we expect to see unfold come Saturday night? We'll tell you all about it as we answer a few burning questions coming into the weekend. Get your beer! It's time for another edition of TDN Roundtable! Be sure to join us in the parking lot for burned sausages and beer!

Daylon Barr Photo

What worked for Tim McCreadie this year that has put him in a position to win the entire series? He can help himself put the championship to bed with a win here.

Josh Bayko- I think not having the pressures of being both the owner and driver has helped him immensely. He's just a hired gun now, and all he has to focus on are the races themselves. That has showed in the results. He's been incredibly consistent this year, and that's surely a welcome change after the last half dozen or so years. This particular weekend, though, he'll be traveling between PPMS and Oswego, where he's racing a modified at Super DIRT Week. It may hinder his performance in both cars, as they take radically different driving styles, and adjust back and forth day to day has got to be a little rough.



Todd Nunes- Tim has been a model of consistency this year. He seem to be good out of the box almost every time he unloads. Double duty this weekend could be detrimental to his stamina though.


Tyler Beichner- I think his switch to the Lucas Oil series in 2016 put a breath of fresh air in his sails. After following the World of Outlaws for so long, the jump to Lucas seemed to revitalize him. Now after a year to familiarize with the different tracks on tour, he's had a chance to fill his notebook and become a contender each night out.

Kyle Symons - I think that McCreadie and company finally found the right combination.  Being the Longhorn house car driver, and having those resources behind him have helped his team out greatly, and that has led to what has been his best season ever.  It will be tough to hold off Bloomquist and Richards over the final two events at PPMS and Portsmouth, but don't count out McCreadie.  He's been in the thick of the points battle all year long and now finds himself in the lead with two races to go.  He could definitely win the Lucas Oil championship this season.


The local/regional field is as tough as they come. Which area driver do you feel has the best chance at pulling a miracle at PPMS and why?

Josh Bayko -I'd have to go with Jared Miley. He's as tough as they come at PPMS, and he's shown to be pretty good in 100 lap races the past few years. If he starts up front, he could absolutely pull ofr the shocker. 



Todd Nunes- Alex Ferree has been very fast in the super late specials he’s raced at PPMS this year. There’s several locals that could put up a challenge, if the cards fall right for one of them, we may be talking about the local guy next week.

Tyler Beichner- Michael Norris. Without any form of an invert or redraw built into the format, how you time is as important as how you race. Norris set quick time at last year's Pittsburgher 100, and this year it seems that his race speed has finally caught up to his qualifying speed. Sure he's not a veteran in 100-lap races, but everyone has to break through at some point.

Kyle Symons - I have to agree with Tyler and go with Michael Norris here.  Norris was fast at Pittsburgh last season setting fast time, but fading during the feature a little bit.  If he can put it all together this weekend he could be a surprise winner of the Pittsburgher 100.

Patrick Miller Photo

Richards and Bloomquist are good bets of course, they're always tough at PPMS,  but what tour regulars or other national touring drivers are potential winners this weekend?

Josh Bayko - Brandon Sheppard has got to be the name that stands out. The Rocket house car is damn near unbeatable in races it attends at PPMS, and Brandon is a certainly a guy that knows how to win 100 lap races. Sure Josh Richards was the wheelman for most of those races, but let's get serious here. Brandon is every bit as potent as Josh. He might not have the laps there, but the car will be right every time it hits the track. I'd even go so far to say that he's gotta be the favorite going in.



Todd Nunes- Sheppard has had a great season, and Rockets always do well at PPMS, however I’m gonna bet Greg Satterlee hasn’t forgotten how to get around the joint. Look for a good run for Greg as he gets some home cooking this weekend.

Kyle Symons - Brandon Sheppard will be very tough, but I'll go off the radar a little bit and go with Jimmy Owens.  Owens has been the top points getter on the Lucas Oil tour over the past two months, and has found speed that they were lacking earlier in the season.  He had a solid fifth place finish in this event last season, so look for him to be a contender this weekend.



What makes the Pittsburgher stand out amongst all the other 100 lap, big money races out there? What makes it such a special place?

Josh Bayko - The Pittsburgher has a pretty rich history that has has seen a few different sanctions and a few different formats over the years. Somehow through times of turmoil and change, the race soldiers on. There's something to be said about that kind of tenacity.  The track itself is big, wide and crazy fast. The place is definitely in the conversation of fastest dirt tracks in America. That slone makes it special.



Todd Nunes- We're on to the 29^th Pittsburgher 100, and man has the race seen big names in those years. Drivers can run anywhere at PPMS, and $20k to win isn’t exactly chump change. There’s a lot of memories tied to the Pittsburgher for both drivers, and fans.

Kyle Symons - The Pittsburgher has always been a great late-season special that has always drawn good cars, and the layout of the track definitely favors the brave.  Fans flock to PPMS every year for this event, and despite many different sanctions, the event has always drawn really good fields.
 

 Time to chime in! Give us your one and only winner and how do they get the job done?

Josh Bayko - Brandon Sheppard. I say he qualifies top 5, putting him on the front row of a heat, that he wins, which starts him up front. I say he gets out front by lap 20 and never looks back.



Todd Nunes- As long as Bloomer finds his way into the pits prior to qualifying, he will be hard to beat. However, Richards will likely repeat as winner, taking the lead from Black Sunshine mid-race.

Tyler Beichner- Scott Bloomquist. Why? Because his legend will grow - from his dismal stretch of DNF's beginning in June at the Firecracker to being counted out of the points chase with only a dozen races remaining on the schedule. Now we're down to two, and I think he's in the driver's seat. He'll win this weekend, and the DTWC in a couple of weeks, and build on to the ever-growing aura that surrounds him.

Kyle Symons - I'm going to go with Scott Bloomquist here to put the pressure on the rest of the field heading into the final points event in the Dirt Track World Championship at Portsmouth in a couple of weeks.  Bloomquist, Richards and McCreadie will all be in the top five as well this weekend.