JACKSON, MS – Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN held off David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN to win his second straight StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series victory on Saturday night at Swinging Bridge Raceway. Buckingham led all 75 laps in his S&S Millwright Barry Wright/604 to pick up his third win of the season, and increase his point lead over Gentry.
Gentry stayed close to Buckingham all race long, and made his most serious bid for the lead in the final turn of the final lap. Gentry tried to throw a slider at Buckingham going into turn three on the final lap, but the move came up short in turn four, and Gentry had to settle for his third second-place finish of the season in the Hawkins Equipment Mastersbilt/604.
“I didn’t know it was David Earl racing me on the last lap, but I knew someone was definitely there,” Buckingham said. “David Earl has helped me a lot this season, and he raced me clean on the last lap. The track was racy all night long, and was better than I expected it to be. The folks here at Swinging Bridge Raceway really gave us a good track to race on and made us feel welcome.”
With the victory, Buckingham extended his point lead over Gentry to 28 points after the first seven races of the season. Buckingham swept the two-day event, as he was the Hog Chain Racing Fast Qualifier among the 37 entrants with a lap in 15.152 seconds around the 3/8-mile clay oval for an average speed of 89.097 miles per hour.
Buckingham then won the first ten-lap heat race, and earned the pole position for the big show by winning the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash.
Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN drove a steady race to finish third in the Parker Racing Mastersbilt/604. Second 12-lap B-Main winner Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN put on a show for the full house by racing from the 18th starting spot to finish fourth in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior/604. Johnson earned the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA took the fifth spot in the Smith and Sons Trucking Warrior/604, and “Dr. Dirt” Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS drove the Stokes Racing GRT/604 to a sixth-place finish. Landon Frith of Terry, MS was seventh in his GM Performance steel-head 602 Crate Engine under the hood of the Swinging Bridge Raceway Mastersbilt.
Davin Bates of Independence, LA finished eighth in the Bates Racing Rocket/604, and Jarrette Gunn of Brandon, MS put another steel-head 602 in the top ten with a ninth-place effort in the B&B Electric Company GRT. Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA rounded out the top ten in the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt/604.
The hard racing got started right at drop of the green flag, as Buckingham, outside front row starter Brooks Strength of Jackson, MS, and Parker drove through the first two turns three-wide battling for the lead. That hot battle was cooled down when Fields spun in turn two to bring out the caution flag.
Buckingham grabbed the lead on the restart followed by Brooks, who was making his first-ever dirt late model start in the Dutel Racing Rocket/604, Parker and Stokes. The second lap saw Stokes move up to second, and Gentry advanced to the top five after starting seventh. Gentry moved up to the fourth position on lap three.
Strength dropped out on the fifth lap, and Gentry passed Stokes for the second spot, while Buckingham had pulled out to a half straightaway lead. A caution for debris on lap six slowed the field, and Gentry went to work on Buckingham on the restart. Buckingham went high in turn one, and Gentry dove to the inside. Buckingham held him off, and opened up a three car-length lead.
By lap 10 it was Buckingham leading Gentry, Stokes, Parker, Smith, and Frith. Smith was able to get around Parker for the fourth spot on lap 17, and Johnson was up to tenth by lap 18. Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA spun the B&B Specialized Hauling GRT/604 on lap 19 to bring out the caution flag.
On the restart, Gentry tucked in behind Buckingham on the high side, while Smith dove under Stokes to take over the third spot. Johnson moved up to the ninth spot, and put on a show moving up through the field. By lap 27, the “Chattanooga Flash” got around Frith to take the sixth spot.
Things got busy after a lap 52 restart. Parker drove around Stokes and Smith to go from fifth to third, and Johnson also drove around the outside of Stokes to move up to fifth. Johnson used the high line to pass Smith for fourth on lap 57.
Gentry closed in on Buckingham in heavy lapped traffic, but couldn’t make a move for the lead. Buckingham methodically worked the lapped cars, and could keep them between himself and Gentry. With two laps to go, Buckingham and Gentry cleared the lapped cars and had clear race track in front of them.
Gentry closed on Buckingham on the final lap. As the leaders approached turn three, Buckingham went to the high side, and Gentry dove for the bottom of the track. Gentry pulled along side Buckingham, and tried to slide up in front of him to take the lead, as the crowd came to their feet for the finish.
Buckingham had enough momentum to beat Gentry off the fourth turn. Gentry slid to the high side, and tucked in behind the winner for the second spot.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 7 AT SWINGING BRIDGE RACEWAY IN JACKSON, MS ON 6/9-10/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 75 $5.300
2. 7 1 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 75 $2,500
3. 3 75 Carnell Parker III Clarksville, TN 75 $1,750
4. 18 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 75 $1,600
5. 9 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 75 $1,250
6. 5 1s Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 75 $1,000
7. 4 50 Landon Frith Terry, MS 75 $850
8. 12 248 Davin Bates Independence, LA 75 $750
9. 8 71 Jarrette Gunn Brandon, MS 75 $700
10. 13 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 75 $650
11. 20 15 Jeff Purvis Clarksville, TN 75 $600
12. 14 13 Kevin Watts Denham Springs, LA 75 $550
13. 17 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 75 $500
14. 15 4 Doug Todd Brandon, MS 75 $450
15. 16 E10 Tyler Pitts Sun, LA 75 $400
16. 23 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 75 $380
17. 11 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 74 $360
18. 6 75L Neil Lee Flowood, MS 74 $340
19. 25 36 James Young Richland, MS 73 $320
20. 24 11 Lance Carroll Bastrop, LA 73 $300
21. 19 14 J.D. Henry Byrum, MS 65 $300
22. 22 21w David Worrell Jackson, MS 62 $300
23. 10 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 60 $300
24. 21 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 60 $300
25. 2 444 Brooks Strength Jackson, MS 4 $300
ENTRIES: 37
HOG CHAIN RACING FAST QUALIFIER: Buckingham, 15.152 Seconds; 89.097 MPH
PROVISIONALS: Beard (R) and Young (Promoter’s Choice)
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: Buckingham, 1-75
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Johnson (started 18th and finished 4th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Beard
CAUTIONS: 9
HEAT RACES – 10 LAPS (Top 4 Finishers Transfer To Feature Race)
1ST HEAT: 1. Buckingham; 2. Stokes; 3. Smith; 4. Fields; 5. Henry; 6. James Bradshaw; 7. Nichols; 8. Beard (R); 9. William Burns; 10. Young.
2ND HEAT: 1. Strength; 2. Lee; 3. Gifford; 4. Watts; 5. Michael Keener; 6. Brad Stevens; 7. Bubba Jones; 8. Carroll; 9. Johnson.
3RD HEAT: 1. Frith; 2. Gentry; 3. Turner; 4. Todd; 5. Nipper; 6. Jeff Danos; 7. Karl Willard; 8. Nick Curole; 9. Caleb Myers.
4TH HEAT: 1. Parker; 2. Gunn; 3. Bates; 4. Lucky Keeton; 5. Pitts; 6. Les Lazarus; 7. Worrell; 8. Purvis; 9. Chase Washington.
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH: 1. Buckingham; 2. Strength; 3. Parker; 4. Frith.
1ST B-MAIN – 12 LAPS: 1. Nipper; 2. Henry; 3. Nichols; 4. Beard; 5. Willard; 6. Burns; 7. Myers; 8. Danos; 9. Young.
2ND B-MAIN – 12 LAPS: 1. Johnson; 2. Purvis; 3. Worrell; 4. Carroll; 5. Jones; 6. Stevens; 7. Keener; 8. Lazarus.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 6/10/06:
Gentry stayed close to Buckingham all race long, and made his most serious bid for the lead in the final turn of the final lap. Gentry tried to throw a slider at Buckingham going into turn three on the final lap, but the move came up short in turn four, and Gentry had to settle for his third second-place finish of the season in the Hawkins Equipment Mastersbilt/604.
“I didn’t know it was David Earl racing me on the last lap, but I knew someone was definitely there,” Buckingham said. “David Earl has helped me a lot this season, and he raced me clean on the last lap. The track was racy all night long, and was better than I expected it to be. The folks here at Swinging Bridge Raceway really gave us a good track to race on and made us feel welcome.”
With the victory, Buckingham extended his point lead over Gentry to 28 points after the first seven races of the season. Buckingham swept the two-day event, as he was the Hog Chain Racing Fast Qualifier among the 37 entrants with a lap in 15.152 seconds around the 3/8-mile clay oval for an average speed of 89.097 miles per hour.
Buckingham then won the first ten-lap heat race, and earned the pole position for the big show by winning the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash.
Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN drove a steady race to finish third in the Parker Racing Mastersbilt/604. Second 12-lap B-Main winner Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN put on a show for the full house by racing from the 18th starting spot to finish fourth in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior/604. Johnson earned the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA took the fifth spot in the Smith and Sons Trucking Warrior/604, and “Dr. Dirt” Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS drove the Stokes Racing GRT/604 to a sixth-place finish. Landon Frith of Terry, MS was seventh in his GM Performance steel-head 602 Crate Engine under the hood of the Swinging Bridge Raceway Mastersbilt.
Davin Bates of Independence, LA finished eighth in the Bates Racing Rocket/604, and Jarrette Gunn of Brandon, MS put another steel-head 602 in the top ten with a ninth-place effort in the B&B Electric Company GRT. Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA rounded out the top ten in the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt/604.
The hard racing got started right at drop of the green flag, as Buckingham, outside front row starter Brooks Strength of Jackson, MS, and Parker drove through the first two turns three-wide battling for the lead. That hot battle was cooled down when Fields spun in turn two to bring out the caution flag.
Buckingham grabbed the lead on the restart followed by Brooks, who was making his first-ever dirt late model start in the Dutel Racing Rocket/604, Parker and Stokes. The second lap saw Stokes move up to second, and Gentry advanced to the top five after starting seventh. Gentry moved up to the fourth position on lap three.
Strength dropped out on the fifth lap, and Gentry passed Stokes for the second spot, while Buckingham had pulled out to a half straightaway lead. A caution for debris on lap six slowed the field, and Gentry went to work on Buckingham on the restart. Buckingham went high in turn one, and Gentry dove to the inside. Buckingham held him off, and opened up a three car-length lead.
By lap 10 it was Buckingham leading Gentry, Stokes, Parker, Smith, and Frith. Smith was able to get around Parker for the fourth spot on lap 17, and Johnson was up to tenth by lap 18. Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA spun the B&B Specialized Hauling GRT/604 on lap 19 to bring out the caution flag.
On the restart, Gentry tucked in behind Buckingham on the high side, while Smith dove under Stokes to take over the third spot. Johnson moved up to the ninth spot, and put on a show moving up through the field. By lap 27, the “Chattanooga Flash” got around Frith to take the sixth spot.
Things got busy after a lap 52 restart. Parker drove around Stokes and Smith to go from fifth to third, and Johnson also drove around the outside of Stokes to move up to fifth. Johnson used the high line to pass Smith for fourth on lap 57.
Gentry closed in on Buckingham in heavy lapped traffic, but couldn’t make a move for the lead. Buckingham methodically worked the lapped cars, and could keep them between himself and Gentry. With two laps to go, Buckingham and Gentry cleared the lapped cars and had clear race track in front of them.
Gentry closed on Buckingham on the final lap. As the leaders approached turn three, Buckingham went to the high side, and Gentry dove for the bottom of the track. Gentry pulled along side Buckingham, and tried to slide up in front of him to take the lead, as the crowd came to their feet for the finish.
Buckingham had enough momentum to beat Gentry off the fourth turn. Gentry slid to the high side, and tucked in behind the winner for the second spot.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 7 AT SWINGING BRIDGE RACEWAY IN JACKSON, MS ON 6/9-10/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 75 $5.300
2. 7 1 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 75 $2,500
3. 3 75 Carnell Parker III Clarksville, TN 75 $1,750
4. 18 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 75 $1,600
5. 9 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 75 $1,250
6. 5 1s Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 75 $1,000
7. 4 50 Landon Frith Terry, MS 75 $850
8. 12 248 Davin Bates Independence, LA 75 $750
9. 8 71 Jarrette Gunn Brandon, MS 75 $700
10. 13 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 75 $650
11. 20 15 Jeff Purvis Clarksville, TN 75 $600
12. 14 13 Kevin Watts Denham Springs, LA 75 $550
13. 17 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 75 $500
14. 15 4 Doug Todd Brandon, MS 75 $450
15. 16 E10 Tyler Pitts Sun, LA 75 $400
16. 23 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 75 $380
17. 11 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 74 $360
18. 6 75L Neil Lee Flowood, MS 74 $340
19. 25 36 James Young Richland, MS 73 $320
20. 24 11 Lance Carroll Bastrop, LA 73 $300
21. 19 14 J.D. Henry Byrum, MS 65 $300
22. 22 21w David Worrell Jackson, MS 62 $300
23. 10 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 60 $300
24. 21 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 60 $300
25. 2 444 Brooks Strength Jackson, MS 4 $300
ENTRIES: 37
HOG CHAIN RACING FAST QUALIFIER: Buckingham, 15.152 Seconds; 89.097 MPH
PROVISIONALS: Beard (R) and Young (Promoter’s Choice)
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: Buckingham, 1-75
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Johnson (started 18th and finished 4th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Beard
CAUTIONS: 9
70.751
HEAT RACES – 10 LAPS (Top 4 Finishers Transfer To Feature Race)
1ST HEAT: 1. Buckingham; 2. Stokes; 3. Smith; 4. Fields; 5. Henry; 6. James Bradshaw; 7. Nichols; 8. Beard (R); 9. William Burns; 10. Young.
2ND HEAT: 1. Strength; 2. Lee; 3. Gifford; 4. Watts; 5. Michael Keener; 6. Brad Stevens; 7. Bubba Jones; 8. Carroll; 9. Johnson.
3RD HEAT: 1. Frith; 2. Gentry; 3. Turner; 4. Todd; 5. Nipper; 6. Jeff Danos; 7. Karl Willard; 8. Nick Curole; 9. Caleb Myers.
4TH HEAT: 1. Parker; 2. Gunn; 3. Bates; 4. Lucky Keeton; 5. Pitts; 6. Les Lazarus; 7. Worrell; 8. Purvis; 9. Chase Washington.
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH: 1. Buckingham; 2. Strength; 3. Parker; 4. Frith.
1ST B-MAIN – 12 LAPS: 1. Nipper; 2. Henry; 3. Nichols; 4. Beard; 5. Willard; 6. Burns; 7. Myers; 8. Danos; 9. Young.
2ND B-MAIN – 12 LAPS: 1. Johnson; 2. Purvis; 3. Worrell; 4. Carroll; 5. Jones; 6. Stevens; 7. Keener; 8. Lazarus.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 6/10/06:
- Shannon Buckingham – 652
- David Gentry – 624
- Ronnie Johnson – 618
- Jeff Smith – 572
- Jeff Fields – 548
- Carnell Parker III – 542
- Frankie Beard (R) – 530
- Zach Nichols – 500
- Jeff Purvis – 432
- Jordy Nipper – 412
- Denny Slayton – 378
- Matthew Turner – 356
- Michael Page (R) – 346
- Jimmy Kay – 326
- Michael Keener - 226
