By Roby Helm
TAMPA, FL – Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA set three goals for himself back in January as he embarked on his rookie season with the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour. Goal number one was to win the Rookie of the Year Award, goal number two was to win a National Tour race, and goal number three was to finish in the top five in the National Tour point standings.
Not only did the 20-year-old driver reach all three of his goals, but he got an extra one to boot, as he walks into the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series Awards Banquet Wednesday night at the Westin Hotel in Tampa, FL.
Beard will receive three honors at the banquet. The biggest will be the $5,000 C.J. Rayburn Race Cars Rookie of the Year Award, and in addition to the cash, Beard will also receive a new C.J. Rayburn race car chassis. The second award will be worth $3,500 in point fund money for fifth-place in the 2006 StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings.
The bonus award will be the $1,000 NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Year Award, as Beard posted the most points throughout the season for improving positions from the start of the races to the end of the races.
In all, Beard will take home over $10,000 in cash and awards this Wednesday night at the awards banquet. Only StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN will leave the banquet with more goodies.
“It turned out to be a good year for us, as we met all three of the goals we set for the season,” Beard said. “We got the Rookie of the Year Award, won a race, and finished in the top five in the points. For awhile there in the middle of the season, it didn’t look to good for us.”
The statistics will show that Beard competed in 17 StormPay.com DLMS National Touring events in 2006 with one win, four top five finishes, eight top ten finishes, and two fast time awards. Using a race car with an engine that cost $5,000, Beard earned $22,110 in race prize money and point fund money.
Beard definitely had an up and down and up season. He started off the 2006 StormPay.com Dirt Late Model season on a high note by being the fast qualifier and finishing second at season opener at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL on January 8. Beard followed that up with a fourth-place finish at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS on January 21.
Not only did Beard look like a strong Rookie of the Year candidate, but also a title contender, as he left Columbus, MS in January second in the point standings.
But don’t write the checks yet. Beard finished outside the top ten in the next six StormPay.com DLMS National Touring races before posting an eighth-place finish on July 2 in the ninth race of the season. By July 1, Beard had dropped to seventh in the National Touring points chase. Was this as bad as it got for Beard? Nope!
On July 4 at StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, TN, Beard was looking to get some momentum back after his July 2 top ten finish at Thunderhill Raceway in Lawrenceburg, TN. That momentum came to a grinding and sudden halt on lap 44 of the 75-lap race with Beard’s #21b Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright sitting up-side-down on the front straightaway.
Beard was uninjured in the crash, but it lead to a third appearance change for #21b during the season. Beard started out with a black #1, but after the Columbus race, the number was changed to #21b, and the color went from black to red.
After the Clarksville flip, the team contemplated coming “back in black” with a #1, but instead opted to keep the #21b, but went to a yellow and red paint job. The team skipped the July 30 race in McComb, MS to regroup, and try to salvage the season.
After missing a race and coming back with a 21st-place effort at Talladega Short Track on August 5, Beard had dropped back down to seventh in the National Touring point standings. It was looking pretty good that Beard had enough points to take the Rookie of the Year Award, but the other goals might have to go unclaimed.
Beard got a new lease on the season when he finished second to Gentry at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL on August 18. He followed that performance up with an eighth-place finish after starting 23rd at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Fyffe, AL the next night. Beard was back up to the sixth spot in points, and within striking distance of the top five.
A 13th-place finish on September 2 at Whynot Motorsports Park was just a minor setback for Beard, as he geared up for the stretch drive in the final three points races of the season.
When Beard took the checkered flag at Crossville Raceway in Crossville, TN on August 29, he was pretty happy with his third second-place finish of the season. But moments after he crossed the scales, officials wouldn’t let him back in the pit area. Instead, they were directing him to the winner’s circle.
Behind Beard, the car of the apparent winner, Shannon Buckingham was light at the scales, and Beard was declared the winner of the race.
“A win is a win,” Beard said, “and after the season we’ve had, we’ll take it anyway we can get it.” The victory – goal number one reached - all but clinched the C.J. Rayburn Race Cars Rookie of the Year Award – goal number two reached - and moved Beard to within 16 points of reaching his third and final goal, fifth-place in the points.
Beard was now packing momentum like he had never seen before with two races to go. Beard came from the 16th starting spot to finish fourth at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on October 22. Not only was he racking up National Touring points, but Hard Charger points as well.
Beard returned to the site of one of his early season successes for the final race of the season, Columbus Speedway. The 2006 StormPay.com C.J. Rayburn Race Cars Rookie of the Year and race winner was fifth in points, but needed a strong run to keep it. It didn’t look good as the field lined up for the 40-lap main event.
After being crashed out of his B-main event on the last turn of the last lap while leading, Beard was forced to take a provisional starting spot for the main event. He started 24th and dead last. To get his top five finish in the points, Beard had a long way to go, and short time get there. In addition to that, Beard was in a three-way tie for the Hard Charger Award.
The term Rookie might be used along side Beard’s name in the box score, but on that November 25th day, Beard showed that he was ready to transform into the role of veteran. Beard blasted through the field for a third-place finish, the fifth spot in the points, and the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Year Award.
After Wednesday night’s Tampa awards ceremony, Beard will travel a few miles down U.S. Highway 41 to East Bay Raceway Park on Friday and Saturday night to take a curtain call on his great season of StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series accomplishments.
Beard and over 100 other entrants, including Nextel Cup star Ken Schrader of Fenton, MO, StormPay.com DLMS National Champion Gentry, defending race winner Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN, and local favorite, two-time StormPay.com DLMS East Bay winner Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL will compete in the 2nd Annual 100-lap $10,000-to-win StormPay.com World Championship Race.
For more information call East Bay Raceway Park at 813-677-7223, or visit the track web site at www.eastbayracewaypark.com. For more information about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
TAMPA, FL – Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA set three goals for himself back in January as he embarked on his rookie season with the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour. Goal number one was to win the Rookie of the Year Award, goal number two was to win a National Tour race, and goal number three was to finish in the top five in the National Tour point standings.
Not only did the 20-year-old driver reach all three of his goals, but he got an extra one to boot, as he walks into the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series Awards Banquet Wednesday night at the Westin Hotel in Tampa, FL.
Beard will receive three honors at the banquet. The biggest will be the $5,000 C.J. Rayburn Race Cars Rookie of the Year Award, and in addition to the cash, Beard will also receive a new C.J. Rayburn race car chassis. The second award will be worth $3,500 in point fund money for fifth-place in the 2006 StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings.
The bonus award will be the $1,000 NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Year Award, as Beard posted the most points throughout the season for improving positions from the start of the races to the end of the races.
In all, Beard will take home over $10,000 in cash and awards this Wednesday night at the awards banquet. Only StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN will leave the banquet with more goodies.
“It turned out to be a good year for us, as we met all three of the goals we set for the season,” Beard said. “We got the Rookie of the Year Award, won a race, and finished in the top five in the points. For awhile there in the middle of the season, it didn’t look to good for us.”
The statistics will show that Beard competed in 17 StormPay.com DLMS National Touring events in 2006 with one win, four top five finishes, eight top ten finishes, and two fast time awards. Using a race car with an engine that cost $5,000, Beard earned $22,110 in race prize money and point fund money.
Beard definitely had an up and down and up season. He started off the 2006 StormPay.com Dirt Late Model season on a high note by being the fast qualifier and finishing second at season opener at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL on January 8. Beard followed that up with a fourth-place finish at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS on January 21.
Not only did Beard look like a strong Rookie of the Year candidate, but also a title contender, as he left Columbus, MS in January second in the point standings.
But don’t write the checks yet. Beard finished outside the top ten in the next six StormPay.com DLMS National Touring races before posting an eighth-place finish on July 2 in the ninth race of the season. By July 1, Beard had dropped to seventh in the National Touring points chase. Was this as bad as it got for Beard? Nope!
On July 4 at StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, TN, Beard was looking to get some momentum back after his July 2 top ten finish at Thunderhill Raceway in Lawrenceburg, TN. That momentum came to a grinding and sudden halt on lap 44 of the 75-lap race with Beard’s #21b Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright sitting up-side-down on the front straightaway.
Beard was uninjured in the crash, but it lead to a third appearance change for #21b during the season. Beard started out with a black #1, but after the Columbus race, the number was changed to #21b, and the color went from black to red.
After the Clarksville flip, the team contemplated coming “back in black” with a #1, but instead opted to keep the #21b, but went to a yellow and red paint job. The team skipped the July 30 race in McComb, MS to regroup, and try to salvage the season.
After missing a race and coming back with a 21st-place effort at Talladega Short Track on August 5, Beard had dropped back down to seventh in the National Touring point standings. It was looking pretty good that Beard had enough points to take the Rookie of the Year Award, but the other goals might have to go unclaimed.
Beard got a new lease on the season when he finished second to Gentry at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL on August 18. He followed that performance up with an eighth-place finish after starting 23rd at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Fyffe, AL the next night. Beard was back up to the sixth spot in points, and within striking distance of the top five.
A 13th-place finish on September 2 at Whynot Motorsports Park was just a minor setback for Beard, as he geared up for the stretch drive in the final three points races of the season.
When Beard took the checkered flag at Crossville Raceway in Crossville, TN on August 29, he was pretty happy with his third second-place finish of the season. But moments after he crossed the scales, officials wouldn’t let him back in the pit area. Instead, they were directing him to the winner’s circle.
Behind Beard, the car of the apparent winner, Shannon Buckingham was light at the scales, and Beard was declared the winner of the race.
“A win is a win,” Beard said, “and after the season we’ve had, we’ll take it anyway we can get it.” The victory – goal number one reached - all but clinched the C.J. Rayburn Race Cars Rookie of the Year Award – goal number two reached - and moved Beard to within 16 points of reaching his third and final goal, fifth-place in the points.
Beard was now packing momentum like he had never seen before with two races to go. Beard came from the 16th starting spot to finish fourth at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on October 22. Not only was he racking up National Touring points, but Hard Charger points as well.
Beard returned to the site of one of his early season successes for the final race of the season, Columbus Speedway. The 2006 StormPay.com C.J. Rayburn Race Cars Rookie of the Year and race winner was fifth in points, but needed a strong run to keep it. It didn’t look good as the field lined up for the 40-lap main event.
After being crashed out of his B-main event on the last turn of the last lap while leading, Beard was forced to take a provisional starting spot for the main event. He started 24th and dead last. To get his top five finish in the points, Beard had a long way to go, and short time get there. In addition to that, Beard was in a three-way tie for the Hard Charger Award.
The term Rookie might be used along side Beard’s name in the box score, but on that November 25th day, Beard showed that he was ready to transform into the role of veteran. Beard blasted through the field for a third-place finish, the fifth spot in the points, and the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Year Award.
After Wednesday night’s Tampa awards ceremony, Beard will travel a few miles down U.S. Highway 41 to East Bay Raceway Park on Friday and Saturday night to take a curtain call on his great season of StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series accomplishments.
Beard and over 100 other entrants, including Nextel Cup star Ken Schrader of Fenton, MO, StormPay.com DLMS National Champion Gentry, defending race winner Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN, and local favorite, two-time StormPay.com DLMS East Bay winner Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL will compete in the 2nd Annual 100-lap $10,000-to-win StormPay.com World Championship Race.
For more information call East Bay Raceway Park at 813-677-7223, or visit the track web site at www.eastbayracewaypark.com. For more information about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
