5/4/2023
Earl Pearson Jr. records Top-10 in Ralph Latham Memorial
Earl Pearson Jr. and the Papich Racing team returned to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Atomic Speedway (Chillicothe, Ohio) after rain axed scheduled events in both March and April.
Drawing 42 competitors for the opener of the three-race swing, Pearson placed second in his heat race but was awarded the victory after apparent-winner Tyler Erb failed the droop test. Rolling off from the second-row in the $12,000-to-win Buckeye State 50, Earl slowly faded throughout the 50-lap main event and wound up 12th.
For the John Bradshaw Memorial on Friday at Ponderosa Speedway (Junction City, Ky.), EPJ picked up the last A-Main transfer spot in his heat race to set him up with a 14th-place starting position. For the $12,000-to-win main event, Pearson was an early retiree after completing just four laps.
With the weekend coming to a close on Saturday at Florence Speedway (Union, Ky.), Earl gained five spots in his heat to grab the fourth and final feature transfer position. Rolling off from the 14th-position in the Ralph Latham Memorial, EPJ inched forward in the 50-lap feature to land inside the Top-10 in eighth.
Full results from the event are available at www.LucasDirt.com.
Article Credit: Heath Lawson Photo