Cleveland TN -- Despite threatening overcast skies Saturday night Ricky Holland of Ooltewah Tennessee was able to hold off two of the top dirt Super Late Model superstars and collect his career biggest win, the 5th Annual Sonya's Used Cars - "Shamrock 100". Action began for the two night event, Friday night with qualifying and heat races. Holland in his black # 42 "Bowers Motorsports, Chambers Equipment Sales, Russell Baker Engines, Jerry Holland Construction & Excavating" GRT, Chevrolet Monte Carlo lead all 100 laps of the "A" Main Feature event. "This is great!" stated Holland from victory lane, as he continued thanking the crew and family for all their help and support.

At race time seventy-four (74) drivers had signed-in in the attempt to make the twenty-four car starting field. As qualifying began it was Billy Ogle Jr. setting the standard with a lap at 14:829 seconds. All eyes were on Dale McDowell as he rolled his (#17m) racecar out as the 33rd qualifier. He did not let his fans down as he turned a lap at 14:696 seconds. Even with half the field left to qualify to "money" seemed to be on McDowell (after all he is the Cleveland Speedway Driving School instructor and has won at least everything at Cleveland including the 99' Shamrock). Then from Benton Kentucky out rolled Terry English in his red and black # 96 "Mid Continental Fuels Inc., C.J. Rayburn, Wesley's Custom Graphics" Chevrolet Monte Carlo. English did the unimaginable "cracking the clock" with a lap of 14:553 seconds. McDowell, Clint Smith, Ogle Jr., Chris Madden and James Cline all earned heat race pole position's as the sixth fastest qualifiers of the night.

In the first heat race English was pitted against seventh fastest qualifier Scott Sexton, in what would be a race for the pole position of the "A" Main Feature event on Saturday night. Unfortunately for Sexton a crash in turn three with Paul Tims would take him out of competition for the weekend. This forwarded Holland to the outside pole position. As the restart took place Holland did what seemed impossible as he took the lead from the outside leaving English to battle Tims. Holland was the winner at the end of the 10 lap heat with English and Tims transferring from the top three. McDowell won heat #2 with Mears rallying from as far back as fourth to finish second, with Skip Arp third. Clint Smith won from the pole heat #3 bringing with him John Jones and DeWayne Wilson. Billy Ogle Jr. did the same in the fourth heat leading Ray Cook and Derrick Rainey to the checkers. The fifth heat was won from outside pole starter Kevin Gibson. Freddy Smith finally worked past pole sitter Chris Madden for second leaving the South Carolina driver (who'd never even seen Cleveland Speedway) to finish third. The final heat of the night went to James Cline (who was involved in an accident trying to get to Cleveland Friday afternoon), defeating the reigning Cleveland Speedway Track Champion David Millians. Shawn Chastain finished third as the final transferee from "Pole Night".

On Saturday two "B" Main Last Chance Consolation Races were contested. Mike Tinker of Ringgold GA won the first event securing himself and second place Johnney Chastain a starting position. Wendall Wallace and Jeff Walker did the same in the second race, though Wallace lent his ride to Jeff Smith in order for Smith to keep up his points standings. Jason Smith and Bo Shirley used their Southern All-Star top ten points standings to get into the show as the series provisional starters. As the twenty-four car field took the green flag John Jones stacked up the back half of the field when he spun heading into turn one. Millians became the only causality of the incident, flattening his left rear tire. On the restart Holland took command as McDowell drifted high in turn two allowing Clint Smith passage into second. Gibson and Ogle aligned themselves in fourth and fifth as the events first nine laps entered the record books. Fluid from S. Chastain mount sidelined him for the rest of the night. Jeff Smith and Skip Arp also ended their night early. Soon after Freddy Smith began having problems as Tims and Wilson motored by for position. English worked into the top five, blasting by Ogle and setting his sights on Gibson. The race went green for quite a while as C. Smith began hounding Holland for the lead as the two ran lap after lap on the bottom groove. Holland began drifting high allowing C. Smith to see a glimpse of an opening. Smith bobbled as Holland closed the door in turn two of lap sixty allowing McDowell to pass for second place. McDowell quickly closed on the leader and for the remaining 40 circuits would continually apply pressure. A crash in turn one on lap 82 would see the last yellow, setting up an 18 lap $8,000 showdown. As Holland brought his racecar down the back-straightaway for the last time, it became apparent that nothing would stand in the way of the finest hour of his racing career. Minutes later to the delight of the crowd Holland emerged from his mount as the newest Shamrock Champion. McDowell finished second with C. Smith third, Wilson fourth and English fifth.

Official Southern All-Star Sonya's Used Cars - "Shamrock 100" Finish
1.Ricky Holland (# 42) of Ooltewah TN
2.Dale McDowell (# 17m) of Rossville GA
3.Clint Smith (# 44) of Senoia GA
4.Kevin Gibson (# M45) of Ringgold GA
5.Terry English (# 96) of Benton KY
6.Billy Ogle Jr. (# 201) of Knoxville TN
7.James Cline (# 3) of Oxford AL
8.Mark Mears (# 19) of Decatur AL
9.John Jones (# J1) of Ringgold GA
10.DeWayne Wilson (# 14) of Chattanooga TN
11.Jeff Walker (# 49) of McMinnville TN
12.Derrick Rainey (# 87) of Powder Springs GA
13.Paul Tims (# 84) of Georgetown TN
14.Jason Smith (# 12) of Laurel MS
15.Mike Tinker (# 22) of Ringgold GA
16.Ray Cook (# 53) of Brasstown NC
17.Bo Shirley (# 111) of Gadsden AL
18.Johnney Chastain (# 00) of Murphy NC
19.Chris Madden (# 44) of Gray Court SC
20.Freddy Smith (# 00) of Knoxville TN
21.Skip Arp (# 31) of Georgetown TN
22.Jeff Smith (# 6m) of Kings Mtn. NC
23.Shawn Chastain (# 15) of Murphy NC
24.David Millians (# 9) of Chickamagua GA

Other Racing Results:

"Slam Warrior" Claimer Late Models:
Winner: Bobby Doss (# 28) of Cleveland TN.
2.Nick Yancy (# Y7), 3.David Tinker (# 22), 4.P.D. Doss (# 1), 5.Shane Fulcher (# 9)

"Generation X" UMP Open Wheel Modified:
Winner: Tony Conley (# 89) of Crossville TN
2.Avery Conley Jr. (# 1), 3.Jerry Coffman (# 30), 4.J. Dough (# 13), 5.Scott Boyd (# 11)

"Thunder"Hobby's:
Winner: Richard Dixon (# 3) of Cleveland TN
2.Kenny Scroggins (# 34), 3.Glen Seaton III (# 92), 4.Doyle Herron (# 77), 5.Jeff Page (# 14)

"Power" Pony Stocks:
Winner: Chad Prentice (# P16) of Birchwood TN
2.John Scarbrough (# 41), 3.Mike Truelove (# 55), 4.Bobby Beavers (# 74), 5.Adam Roberts (# 39)