Alex Bergeron has been labeled by many as the odds-on favorite to win the first ever Dirt Track Digest iRacing Lockdown Showdown presented by SprintCarUnlimited.com at the virtual Knoxville Raceway.

The Quebec driver left little doubt on Friday night in qualifying night #2 as he backed up why many picked him as a possible winner on Saturday.  Bergeron was second quick overall, won his heat and then led all 25-laps of the Dig Race Products A-Main.

At the end of the night he was the overall high point man for the event with 498 points.  That was two points more than opening night winner Braden Eyler.

“It (the car) was pretty good overall,” said Bergeron.  “The track came in pretty late in the race.  The middle line came in, other than that we ran the bottom all the way around the race track.  The car felt good all night.  We had a rough qualifying, missed the line a little bit, but we overcame everything and did a good job.”

Bergeron was on a mission from the drop of the green.  Bergeron, who started on the front row after a penalty to another driver, went right to bottom allowing him to get the lead on the opening lap.

From there Bergeron opened the gap, but the race behind him was a good one as Joe Sease felt the heat from Troy Wagaman Jr., and Bryce Bailey.  They remained the top four when the caution came on lap three for a multi-car tangle.   Brian Zyck and Tyler Driever were involved in wild crash in turn one.

Action resumed with another quick caution as several cars were involved in a restart crash on the frontstretch.  Everyone was dicing for position as they raced down the home straightaway into the first corner with Brent Marks and Kevin Hanley among others involved.

Once everyone was lined back up, the green flag flew for Bergeron and a new contender in second in Bailey.  Bergeron established himself on the bottom with Bailey making a run up to the back bumper.  As the top two raced away, Sease and Wagaman battled for position number three.

Bergeron remained the leader with the race for third still going strong with a new driver coming into the picture in Tim Axton.  Wagaman finally gained control of the position a couple of circuits later on lap 14.

On lap 17 it was all Bergeron while the racing behind him remained hot and heavy.  Mason Hannagan, who worked his way into the A-Main from the C, moved into fourth.  He made a move down the backstretch to pass three cars as they drove into the third turn.

The race was brought under caution for the final time on lap 20 as Shilo Boyce flipped down the backstretch after coming in contact with Richard Bates.

Bailey offered up a challenge on the restart.  Bergeron went through the middle in turns one and two with Bailey keeping his car glued to the bottom. He stayed with Bergeron as they came to the white flag.

Bergeron held on for the final lap for the feature win with Bailey hot on his heels in second.  Bailey, of Waverly, N.Y., made a go of it on the bottom, just coming up short.

“My car definitely came in there at the end,” stated Bailey.  “I struggled getting to the bottom at the beginning by overdriving.  I realized toward the end of the run there.  That last green flag run I started trail breaking on entry and that helped it.  I didn’t get a great restart, but we reeled him in a little.  I’ll take second to Alex all day.”

Wagaman Jr., finished in the third position by keeping Hannagan at bay at the end.  The Hanover, Pa., pilot admitted he needed a little more at the end.

“Them guys are pretty darn good,” said Wagaman.  “I tried the top there for a long time and I could keep pace with them, but they were so good on the bottom.  The bottom got real thin, but they were still able to roll around there on that last restart.  I’ll take a third and get better for tomorrow.”

Hannagan, of Pittsboro, Ind., came from 22nd up to the fourth position which was good enough for hard charger honors on the night.  Former Empire Super Sprint regular Tim Axton completed the top five.

Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux heat race wins went to Sammy Reakes IV, Bergeron Wagaman, Shilo Boyce and Sease.  Hannagan won the C-Main and Billy Rowlee took the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint B-Main victory.

The DTD Lockdown Showdown presented by SprintCarUnlimited.com is an iRacing event being held at the virtual Knoxville Raceway. Th event is broadcast on the Dirt Track Digest Facebook page for FREE each night and continues with the finale on Saturday night, April 11 at 7 p.m. The best iRacers in the country are taking on some of the best the Northeast racing scene has to offer.

Stay tuned to Dirt Track Digest as well as our Facebook page for the latest developments for the first ever Lockdown Showdown.  Check out SprintCarUnlimited.com for the latest in the world of Sprint Car racing.

Sprint Car Feature Finish, 25 Laps: 1. Alex Bergeron; 2. Bryce Bailey; 3. Troy Wagaman Jr.; 4. Randy Hannagan; 5. Tim Axton; 6. Justin Carey; 7. Joe Sease; 8. Jacob Karklin; 9. Billy Rowlee; 10. David Wilson; 11. Grant Wessley; 12. Adam Ross; 13. Sam Reakes; 14. Corey Heffron; 15. Larry Wight; 16. Vanze Zachary; 17. Richard Bates; 18. Shilo Boyce; 19. Travis Gagnon; 20. Kody Hartlaub; 21. Kevin Hanley; 22. Brent Marks; 23. Brian Zyck (Robert Hummer); 24. Tyler Driever.

Top 60 in Points to return Saturday: 1. Alex Bergeron 498; 2. Braden Eyler 496; 3. Bryce Bailey 495; 4. Troy Wagaman Jr. 482; 5. Jeremy Zarfos 481; 6. Craig Dunn 478; 7. Larry Moody 476; 8. Richie Preston 475; 9. Jesse Dakus 473; 10. Justin Carey 471; 11. David Gravel 467; 12. Tim Axton 467; 13. Mason Hannagan 464; 14. David J. Wilson 463; 15. Billy Rowlee 460; 16. Brett Michalski 456; 17. Kevin Hanley 453; 18. Brad Patton 451; 19. Jacob Karklin 450; 20. Grant Wessley 448; 21. Brandon Planck 447; 22. Corey Heffron 447; 23. David Flick 440; 24. Joe Sease 440; 25. Kevin Loveys 438; 26. Sam Reakes 436; 27. Travis Gagnon 434; 28. Brent Marks 426; 29. Kody Hartlaub 419; 30. Brian Parr 416; 31. Anthony Perrego 414; 32. Larry Wight 411; 33. Shilo Boyce 410; 34. Jeffrey Herrick 408; 35. Madison Mulder 406; 36. Adam Buchanan 405; 37. John Guarino 403; 38. Ryan Simmons 398; 39. Richard Bates 397; 40. Tyler Driever 396; 41. Joe Kata 395; 42. Vanze Zachary 395; 43. Kyle Rochinski 394; 44. Aj Kingsley 391; 45. Mike Mahaney 390; 46. Eric Rutz 389; 47. Ryan Susice 389; 48. Christopher Hockley 382; 49. Kyle Young 382; 50. Dustin Griffitts 381; 51. Jordan Poirier 379; 52. Michael Phelps 379; 53. Maxime Pauqette 375; 54. Ted Barcomb 373; 55. Stewart Friesen 373; 56. Connor Ross 372; 57. Matthew Hearn 370; 58. Wyatt Brown 366; 59. Quentin Young 364; 60. Brian Zyck 362.