ROSSBURG, Ohio — In Eldora Speedway’s biggest Late Model races, Tim McCreadie usually has plenty of time to get to the front. While recording four top-five finishes in the last six Dream features — including third last season and second in 2021’s Dream XXVII — McCreadie never started higher than eighth, but had 100 laps to steadily move forward.

Starting eighth in Thursday’s relatively short 25-lap preliminary feature, time was not a luxury the 49-year-old driver from Watertown, N.Y., had. So McCreadie made the most of the start and then closed out the race in a flourish.

Results & Story From Dirt Late Model Dream Group B Prelim

After going from eighth to third on the opening lap to put himself in contention to win the night’s opening $12,000-to-win feature, McCreadie took advantage of a late caution to wrap up a great start to his Dream XXIX weekend. McCreadie, the overall fast qualifier among 95 entries, passed race-long leader Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., on a restart with six laps remaining to win the prelim.

WATCH GROUP A FEATURE REPLAY

Dirt Late Model Dream Thursday Highlights From Eldora Speedway

VIDEO: Watch highlights from Thursday's Dirt Late Model Dream preliminary features.

Winning Quote From Tim McCreadie

"When we took off the 28 car (Dustin Sorenson, who started sixth), and I knew (fourth-starting Mike) Benedum was on soft tires. So I thought, man, this whole outside row is never gonna go and I think (Benedum) held up (Sorenson) just long enough and he didn’t know where to go. I just kinda shot the middle and I just tried not to slide into the guy in fourth. (I) cleared Benedum and we went down into (turn) three and it just kinda, the seas parted, and I thought, wow, we’re in second without even getting to one full lap.”

Dirt Late Model Dream Thursday Preliminary Feature #1 Results