WHEEL, TN – David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN took a popular hometown victory on Saturday night in the Firecracker 40 for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series at Duck River Speedway. The win was the second of the season for Gentry in the Hawkins Equipment Mastersbilt.
Gentry took the lead on lap 12 after a side-by-side duel with early race leader Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN. Johnson tried to come back on several occasions, but dropped out of the race on lap 30 with ignition problems.
“This is a big win for us here at my home track,” Gentry said. “After winning the first race of the year, we had four second-place finishes, so it’s good to win again, especially here at Duck River Speedway.”
Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN finished second in the S&S Millwright Barry Wright. Buckingham continues to lead the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings by 24 points over Gentry. Johnson still holds the third spot, 34 points behind Gentry.
Brandon King of Decatur, AL posted his second top five finish of the season with a third-place showing in the Empire LNC Services Mastersbilt. Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA was fourth in the Smith & Sons Trucking Warrior, and Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN rounded out the top five in the StormPay.com/NeSmith Chevrolet Warrior.
Terry Lumley of Twin City, GA took the sixth spot in the Kar House Racing Radiators Mastersbilt, and Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN started 19th and finished seventh in the Jackie’s Fast Tax Service GRT to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Mike Bechelli of Elizabethtown, IN was eighth in the Lucas Oil Rocket, and Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA drove the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt to a ninth-place finish. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA rounded out the top ten in the Turner Excavating Hicks.
On the first start of the race, Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA started third, but spun the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright in turn one. Beard came back to finish 11th, and was the Rookie of the Race. There were two more aborted starts as multi-car tangles brought out the caution flag. Johnson took the lead on the fourth try followed by King, Gentry, Smith and Buckingham.
Gentry came from the fourth starting hole and set up residence on the outside cushion at Duck River Speedway, a piece of real estate he knows well. Gentry went around the high side of King on lap 6, and then set his sights on the inside running Johnson.
Josh Lawwell of Shelbyville, TN was on the move, as he passed Buckingham for the fifth spot on lap six, but coming off the fourth turn on lap seven, he tangled with the lapped car of Marvin Parker of Shelbyville, TN. Both Lawwell’s Tommy Lawwell Contracting Rocket and Parker’s Parker Brothers Warrior were done for the night.
Johnson led Gentry, King, Buckingham, and Smith down for the restart. Johnson and Gentry rode the cushion on the high side, while King and Buckingham raced on the bottom of the speedway. By the tenth lap, Gifford had charged from the 19th starting spot to tenth.
Johnson decided the inside groove of the ¼-mile clay oval was where he wanted to be, while Gentry stayed on top. Gentry inched closer to Johnson, and pulled along side on lap 12. Gentry made the pass for the lead coming off the fourth turn on lap 12.
The caution came out on lap 18 when William Burns of Tuscumbia, AL stalled the Jim Bishop Automotive GRT in turn four. Gentry led Johnson, King, Buckingham, Smith, Purvis, Turner, Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN in the Parker Racing Mastersbilt, Fields and Gifford. When the field went green, Johnson dove to the bottom to challenge Gentry for the lead.
Gentry was able to hold off Johnson, and Gifford got by Fields for ninth. Johnson kept trying the bottom groove to pass the high-riding Gentry for the lead, and pulled along side on lap 20. By the halfway point in the race, the cushion had pushed all of the way up to the outside guardrail, and the bottom groove got slick. Either way, it was tedious racing.
Burns spun in the bottom groove of turn four on lap 22, and Fields spun running the inside in turn two on lap 26 while running tenth. Turner spun out of the seventh spot in turn four on lap 27.
While chasing Gentry for the lead, Johnson’s Miller Brothers Coal Warrior slowed off the pace on lap 30 to bring out the tenth caution flag. A coil went bad, ending Johnson’s bid for a second straight StormPay.com Dirt late Model Series Duck River win. Buckingham moved up to the second spot for the restart followed by King, Smith and Purvis.
Carnell Parker III suffered high side woes on the restart when he made contact with the guardrail coming down for the green flag, ending his race while running seventh. On the next restart, Purvis, running fifth, jumped the cushion coming off the fourth turn and lost two spots to Gifford and Lumley.
In the closing laps of the race, Gentry was able to keep Buckingham three car-lengths behind him. Lumley got by Gifford for the fifth spot on lap 32, Purvis got back up on the wheel after his restart miscue. Purvis drove back around Gifford and Lumley to regain the fifth spot on lap 34. King tried the inside groove on lap 35, but was unable to gain any ground on Buckingham.
Johnson was the fast qualifier with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 13.582 seconds, and then earned the pole position for the feature race by winning the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash over King, Beard, Gentry, Buckingham and Smith.
The next event for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be Sunday night with a 50-lap $3,000-to-win event at Thunderhill Raceway in Lawrenceburg, TN.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 8 AT DUCK RIVER SPEEDWAY IN WHEEL, TN ON 7/1/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 4 1 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 40 $2,000
2. 5 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 40 $1,250
3. 2 14 Brandon King Decatur, AL 40 $850
4. 6 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 40 $700
5. 7 15 Jeff Purvis Clarksville, TN 40 $650
6. 14 54 Terry Lumley Twin City, GA 40 $550
7. 19 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 40 $600
8. 16 97 Mike Bechelli Elizabethtown, IN 40 $450
9. 13 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 40 $400
10. 11 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $375
11. 3 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 40 $350
12. 20 41 Ben Davis Culleoka, TN 38 $300
13. 15 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 37 $280
14. 1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 29 $460
15. 9 75 Carnell Parker III Clarksville, TN 29 $250
16. 18 6 William Burns Tuscumbia, AL 21 $240
17. 8 02 Josh Lawwell Shelbyville, TN 8 $220
18. 22 4 Marvin Parker Shelbyville, TN 6 $200
19. 17 G1 Gary Sammons Murfreesboro, TN 3 $200
20. 21 6 Mike Parker Shelbyville, TN 3 $200
21. 10 47 Adam Martin Talladega, AL 0 $200
22. 12 16s Tim Staples Pell City, AL 0 $200
ENTRIES: 22
FAST QUALIFIER: Johnson, 13.582 Seconds, 66.264 MPH
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH WINNER: Johnson
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 1-11; Gentry, 12-40
LAPS LED: Gentry, 29, Johnson, 11
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Gifford (started 19th and finished 7th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Beard
CAUTIONS: 11
QUALIFYING:
POS
CAR #
DRIVER
HOMETOWN
CHASSIS
1ST LAP
2ND LAP
TIME
SPEED
5
Ronnie Johnson
Chattanooga, TN
Warrior
14
Brandon King
Decatur, AL
Mastersbilt
21b
Frankie Beard – R
Hartwell, GA
Barry Wright
1
David Gentry
Lewisburg, TN
Mastersbilt
44
Shannon Buckingham
Morristown, TN
Barry Wright
00
Jeff Smith
Villanow, GA
Warrior
15
Jeff Purvis
Clarksville, TN
Warrior
02x
Josh Lawwell
Shelbyville, TN
Rocket
75
Carnell Parker III
Clarksville, TN
Mastersbilt
47
Adam Martin
Talladega, AL
GRT
NT
10
Matthew Turner
Dawsonville, GA
Hicks
16
Tim Staples
Pell City, AL
Stinger
16
Jeff Fields
Aragon, GA
Mastersbilt
54
Terry Lumley
Twin City, GA
Mastersbilt
17
Zach Nichols
Cedartown, GA
GRT
97
Mike Bechelli
Elizabethtown, IN
Rocket
G1
Gary Sammons
Murfreesboro, TN
Rocket
6
William Burns
Tuscumbia, AL
GRT
2
Ryan Gifford
Winchester, TN
GRT
41
Ben Davis
Culleoka, TN
Mastersbilt
NT
6
Mike Parker
Shelbyville, TN
Warrior
4
Marvin Parker
Shelbyville, TN
Warrior
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6-LAP DASH: 1. Johnson; 2. King; 3. Beard (R); 4.
Gentry; 5. Buckingham; 6. Smith.
STORMPAY.COM NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH JULY 1, 2006:
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate
Gentry took the lead on lap 12 after a side-by-side duel with early race leader Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN. Johnson tried to come back on several occasions, but dropped out of the race on lap 30 with ignition problems.
“This is a big win for us here at my home track,” Gentry said. “After winning the first race of the year, we had four second-place finishes, so it’s good to win again, especially here at Duck River Speedway.”
Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN finished second in the S&S Millwright Barry Wright. Buckingham continues to lead the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings by 24 points over Gentry. Johnson still holds the third spot, 34 points behind Gentry.
Brandon King of Decatur, AL posted his second top five finish of the season with a third-place showing in the Empire LNC Services Mastersbilt. Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA was fourth in the Smith & Sons Trucking Warrior, and Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN rounded out the top five in the StormPay.com/NeSmith Chevrolet Warrior.
Terry Lumley of Twin City, GA took the sixth spot in the Kar House Racing Radiators Mastersbilt, and Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN started 19th and finished seventh in the Jackie’s Fast Tax Service GRT to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Mike Bechelli of Elizabethtown, IN was eighth in the Lucas Oil Rocket, and Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA drove the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt to a ninth-place finish. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA rounded out the top ten in the Turner Excavating Hicks.
On the first start of the race, Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA started third, but spun the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright in turn one. Beard came back to finish 11th, and was the Rookie of the Race. There were two more aborted starts as multi-car tangles brought out the caution flag. Johnson took the lead on the fourth try followed by King, Gentry, Smith and Buckingham.
Gentry came from the fourth starting hole and set up residence on the outside cushion at Duck River Speedway, a piece of real estate he knows well. Gentry went around the high side of King on lap 6, and then set his sights on the inside running Johnson.
Josh Lawwell of Shelbyville, TN was on the move, as he passed Buckingham for the fifth spot on lap six, but coming off the fourth turn on lap seven, he tangled with the lapped car of Marvin Parker of Shelbyville, TN. Both Lawwell’s Tommy Lawwell Contracting Rocket and Parker’s Parker Brothers Warrior were done for the night.
Johnson led Gentry, King, Buckingham, and Smith down for the restart. Johnson and Gentry rode the cushion on the high side, while King and Buckingham raced on the bottom of the speedway. By the tenth lap, Gifford had charged from the 19th starting spot to tenth.
Johnson decided the inside groove of the ¼-mile clay oval was where he wanted to be, while Gentry stayed on top. Gentry inched closer to Johnson, and pulled along side on lap 12. Gentry made the pass for the lead coming off the fourth turn on lap 12.
The caution came out on lap 18 when William Burns of Tuscumbia, AL stalled the Jim Bishop Automotive GRT in turn four. Gentry led Johnson, King, Buckingham, Smith, Purvis, Turner, Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN in the Parker Racing Mastersbilt, Fields and Gifford. When the field went green, Johnson dove to the bottom to challenge Gentry for the lead.
Gentry was able to hold off Johnson, and Gifford got by Fields for ninth. Johnson kept trying the bottom groove to pass the high-riding Gentry for the lead, and pulled along side on lap 20. By the halfway point in the race, the cushion had pushed all of the way up to the outside guardrail, and the bottom groove got slick. Either way, it was tedious racing.
Burns spun in the bottom groove of turn four on lap 22, and Fields spun running the inside in turn two on lap 26 while running tenth. Turner spun out of the seventh spot in turn four on lap 27.
While chasing Gentry for the lead, Johnson’s Miller Brothers Coal Warrior slowed off the pace on lap 30 to bring out the tenth caution flag. A coil went bad, ending Johnson’s bid for a second straight StormPay.com Dirt late Model Series Duck River win. Buckingham moved up to the second spot for the restart followed by King, Smith and Purvis.
Carnell Parker III suffered high side woes on the restart when he made contact with the guardrail coming down for the green flag, ending his race while running seventh. On the next restart, Purvis, running fifth, jumped the cushion coming off the fourth turn and lost two spots to Gifford and Lumley.
In the closing laps of the race, Gentry was able to keep Buckingham three car-lengths behind him. Lumley got by Gifford for the fifth spot on lap 32, Purvis got back up on the wheel after his restart miscue. Purvis drove back around Gifford and Lumley to regain the fifth spot on lap 34. King tried the inside groove on lap 35, but was unable to gain any ground on Buckingham.
Johnson was the fast qualifier with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 13.582 seconds, and then earned the pole position for the feature race by winning the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash over King, Beard, Gentry, Buckingham and Smith.
The next event for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be Sunday night with a 50-lap $3,000-to-win event at Thunderhill Raceway in Lawrenceburg, TN.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 8 AT DUCK RIVER SPEEDWAY IN WHEEL, TN ON 7/1/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 4 1 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 40 $2,000
2. 5 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 40 $1,250
3. 2 14 Brandon King Decatur, AL 40 $850
4. 6 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 40 $700
5. 7 15 Jeff Purvis Clarksville, TN 40 $650
6. 14 54 Terry Lumley Twin City, GA 40 $550
7. 19 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 40 $600
8. 16 97 Mike Bechelli Elizabethtown, IN 40 $450
9. 13 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 40 $400
10. 11 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $375
11. 3 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 40 $350
12. 20 41 Ben Davis Culleoka, TN 38 $300
13. 15 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 37 $280
14. 1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 29 $460
15. 9 75 Carnell Parker III Clarksville, TN 29 $250
16. 18 6 William Burns Tuscumbia, AL 21 $240
17. 8 02 Josh Lawwell Shelbyville, TN 8 $220
18. 22 4 Marvin Parker Shelbyville, TN 6 $200
19. 17 G1 Gary Sammons Murfreesboro, TN 3 $200
20. 21 6 Mike Parker Shelbyville, TN 3 $200
21. 10 47 Adam Martin Talladega, AL 0 $200
22. 12 16s Tim Staples Pell City, AL 0 $200
ENTRIES: 22
FAST QUALIFIER: Johnson, 13.582 Seconds, 66.264 MPH
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH WINNER: Johnson
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 1-11; Gentry, 12-40
LAPS LED: Gentry, 29, Johnson, 11
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Gifford (started 19th and finished 7th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Beard
CAUTIONS: 11
QUALIFYING:
POS
CAR #
DRIVER
HOMETOWN
CHASSIS
1ST LAP
2ND LAP
TIME
SPEED
1
Ronnie Johnson
Chattanooga, TN
Warrior
13.672
13.582
13.582
66.264
2
Brandon King
Decatur, AL
Mastersbilt
13.599
13.931
13.599
66.181
3
Frankie Beard – R
Hartwell, GA
Barry Wright
13.781
13.632
13.632
66.021
4
David Gentry
Lewisburg, TN
Mastersbilt
13.713
13.699
13.699
65.698
5
Shannon Buckingham
Morristown, TN
Barry Wright
13.737
13.880
13.737
65.516
6
Jeff Smith
Villanow, GA
Warrior
14.308
13.804
13.804
65.198
7
Jeff Purvis
Clarksville, TN
Warrior
13.955
14.036
13.955
64.493
8
Josh Lawwell
Shelbyville, TN
Rocket
13.956
14.068
13.956
64.488
9
Carnell Parker III
Clarksville, TN
Mastersbilt
14.500
14.083
14.083
63.907
10
Adam Martin
Talladega, AL
GRT
NT
14.158
14.158
63.568
11
Matthew Turner
Dawsonville, GA
Hicks
14.387
14.274
14.274
63.052
12
Tim Staples
Pell City, AL
Stinger
14.371
14.284
14.284
63.008
13
Jeff Fields
Aragon, GA
Mastersbilt
14.293
14.514
14.293
62.968
14
Terry Lumley
Twin City, GA
Mastersbilt
14.309
14.337
14.309
62.897
15
Zach Nichols
Cedartown, GA
GRT
14.401
14.517
14.401
62.496
16
Mike Bechelli
Elizabethtown, IN
Rocket
14.737
14.797
14.737
61.071
17
Gary Sammons
Murfreesboro, TN
Rocket
14.996
14.757
14.757
60.988
18
William Burns
Tuscumbia, AL
GRT
14.829
14.941
14.829
60.692
19
Ryan Gifford
Winchester, TN
GRT
15.095
14.847
14.847
60.618
20
Ben Davis
Culleoka, TN
Mastersbilt
15.113
15.113
59.551
21
Mike Parker
Shelbyville, TN
Warrior
18.072
15.421
15.421
58.362
22
Marvin Parker
Shelbyville, TN
Warrior
16.473
29.277
16.473
54.635
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6-LAP DASH: 1. Johnson; 2. King; 3. Beard (R); 4.
Gentry; 5. Buckingham; 6. Smith.
STORMPAY.COM NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH JULY 1, 2006:
- Shannon Buckingham – 748
- David Gentry – 724
- Ronnie Johnson – 690
- Jeff Smith – 664
- Jeff Fields – 630
- Carnell Parker III – 612
- Frankie Beard (R) – 608
- Zach Nichols – 574
- Jeff Purvis – 522
- Matthew Turner – 436
- Jordy Nipper – 412
- Denny Slayton – 378
- Michael Page (R) – 346
- Jimmy Kay – 326
- Ryan Gifford - 258
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate
