Boogie in Brownstown: #FantasyDirt Analysis for LOLMDS Jackson 100

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is sactioning the 43rd Jackson 100 from Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown, Indiana this weekend. This feels like it should be a big deal. Scott Bloomiquist, Jimmy Owens, Don O'Neal, and Billy Moyer dominate the list of previous winners. A racey little 1/4 mile track in Indiana for a hundred laps! Yet, it looks like the car count might be down from the 40 or so we've seen in years past. While that may be a bummer, we can still do our best to win some #FantasyDirt contests.

Here's what you need to know:

Format: Two days, two complete shows
Tonight we get the Night Before the Jackson, which consists of Hot Laps, Qualifying, Heats, B-Mains (if necessary), and a 40-Lap Feature. Saturday night, everyone starts from scratch and runs a complete show from Hot Laps through the 100-Lap Feature.

Drivers I'm Keeping an Eye On:
Tim McCreadie ($21,600): Normally, I don't advocate for drivers with salaries this high. However, with the car count down, we've got to find an edge somewhere. Timmy represents something of a value. He's the 4th-highest salaried driver, behind Hudson O'Neal, BShep, and RTJ. Yet, he leads the LOLMDS season points race, won the Tuesday XR Super Series Kokomo Dirt Nationals Finale, and has a couple Jackson 100 victories under his belt. He should probably be the most expensive driver going into tonight. The fact that he isn't means we can get a decent ROI.

Tyler Erb ($21,400): Terbo has a 7.6 AFP (Average Finishing Position, used here with permission from Dirtrackr.com) in 5 Brownstown starts contained in the Dirtrackr database. Erb also won last year's Night Before the Jackson and the 2020 Hoosier Dirt Classic. His $21,400 salary slots him 6th highest overall, a top-5 finish, which could be in the cards given his stellar showing Monday in Kokomo, would represent some nice value.

Devin Moran ($21,300): Moran slots in as the 7th-highest salaried driver going into tonight. Yet, he finished second in last years Jackson 100 and rocks a 5.4 AFP in the 5 Brownstown starts contained in the Dirtrackr database. All in all, the Mailman represents a slight value and we'll take those where we can in this field of drivers.

Earl Pearson Jr ($21,000): EPJ is probably my favorite driver going into Friday. His salary slots him 9th overall. Yet he sports a 6.0 AFP in 5 Brownstown starts in the Dirtrackr database and 4.4 AFP in his last 5 LOLMDS starts. Additionally, Earl won the Jackson 100 in 2009 and has 3 Indiana Icebraker wins (2006, 2009, 2015) to boot. Unless the mechanical gremlins strike during Hot Laps, I'm locking EPJ in my lineup.

Chad Stapleton ($20,500): Stapleton currently leads the Brownstown Speedway season points race. In a light field of drivers, that might be enough to warrant consideration. If the qualifying time is in the top half, I'd say give him a strong consideration.

Devin Gilpin ($20,000): If EPJ is my favorite driver tonight, Gilpin is nipping at his heals. Gilpin has made Brownstown his whipping boy this season. He's won the 2022 Hoosier Dirt Classic, Paul Crocket Memorial, and Hall of Fame Classic, and sits third in season track points. His dominance at the track isn't something new, either. Devin has won 4 of the last five track championships (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021). Gilpin's salary slots him 14th overall. He's in my lineup.

Kent Robinson ($19,800): I'll say it again: K*Rob is from Indiana and his favorite movie is Super Troopers. What else do you need to know?

Steve Casebolt ($19,600): Steve is skipping his 25 year High School Reunion to rip around Brownstown, so we give the man some shine. Casebolt also has a 12.6 AFP in 5 Brownstown starts loaded in the Dirtrackr database. Not bad for the 17th-highest salaried driver on DirtDraft. In a field lacking little in the way of true value, this might be one of the steals of tonight.

Mike Marlar (N/A): As of publication, the Winfield Warrior is not listed on DirtDraft. Mike is confirmed to be entered via MyRacePass. This could result in an unreasonably low salary once he gets loaded. That alone makes him someone to keep an eye on for Friday Night. Mike also locked in a 5th place in last years Jackson 100, so we know he can get around this track pretty well.

Camaron Marlar (N/A): Camaron is also not yet available on DirtDraft. Maybe their is a Marlar glitch? Late adds tend to have wonky salaries, so I'd keep an eye on Camaron as a potential value add.

Some Locals to Keep in Mind:
Skyller Lewis ($19,300): Sitting second in the Brownstown Track Championship standings.
Jared Bailey ($18,700): Sitting fourth in the Brownstown Track Championship standings.