LAWRENCEBURG, TN – Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN took his third StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series win of the season on Sunday night in the 50-lap feature race at Thunderhill Raceway. Johnson started on the outside of the front row, and led wire-to-wire in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior.
For Johnson, the race was a turning point after a string of bad luck dropped him to third in the point standings. With the victory, Johnson moved into a tie for the second spot with David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN.
“With the luck I’d been having recently, I was wonder if this was going to be our night, or not,” Johnson said. “The car got loose late in the race, and I kept waiting for someone to drive by me, but nobody showed up. I had a close call with a lapped car around the middle of the race, but other than that, it was a pretty smooth run.”
Shannon Buckingham finished in the second spot driving the S&S Millwright Barry Wright. Buckingham kept his streak going of being the only driver in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series to complete every lap of competition, and finish in the top ten in all nine races so far this season. Buckingham leads the series National point standings by 54 points over Johnson and Gentry,
Polesitter Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA finished in the third spot driving the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt. Fields and his crew made hasty repairs to fix a broken right-rear birdcage suffered in hot laps. Fields was the fast qualifier for the event turning the ¼-mile clay oval in 12.658 seconds for an average speed of 71.101 miles per hour, and then won the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash.
Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN was fourth in the StormPay.com/NeSmith Chevrolet Warrior, and Brandon King of Decatur, AL posted his third straight top five finish in StormPay.com DLMS action with a fifth-place effort in the Empire LNC Services Mastersbilt. Terry Lumley of Twin City, GA took the sixth spot in the Kar House Racing Radiators Mastersbilt.
Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA drove the B&B Specialized Hauling GRT to a seventh-place finish, and Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA came back from an early race spin to finish eighth in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright, and was the Rookie of the Race. Steven Ashby of Cunningham, TN was ninth in The Wheel Shop Stinger.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA started 23rd and rallied to a tenth-place finish in the Turner Excavating Hicks to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Johnson took the lead from his outside front row starting spot at the drop of the green flag followed by Fields, Shane Roberts of Bristol, TN in the Pizza Plus GRT, Lumley, and Buckingham. On lap two, Buckingham passed Lumley for the fourth spot, and then got around Roberts for third on lap five.
Gentry charged from his seventh starting spot in the Hawkins Equipment Mastersbilt to pass Roberts for fourth on lap seven. Gentry was battling a car with a bent frame after a hot lap mishap.
Beard spun in turn four on lap eight to bring out the first of nine caution flags. Johnson led Fields, Buckingham, Gentry, and Roberts down for the restart. Buckingham dove for the bottom groove on the restart, and passed Fields for the second spot coming off the fourth turn. Mitchell Browning of Cedartown, GA spun the B&B Specialized Hauling GRT in turn four on lap 11 to bring out the second caution flag.
On the restart, Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA was on the move, as he passed Lumley and Roberts to move into the fifth spot, and King moved up to eighth. Buckingham dodged a bullet on lap 18 when Gary Sammons of Murfreesboro, TN spun in front of him coming off turn two for the third caution flag.
King was on the move when the field went back to green, moving up to the fifth spot on lap 19. King was working inside Gentry for the fourth position on lap 20 when the yellow light flashed for a two-car tangle in turn three involving Roger Brewer of Tuscumbia, AL in the Classic Environmental Larry Shaw, and Mike Bechelli of Elizabethtown, IN driving the Lucas Oil Rocket.
On the restart, Smith was battling with Purvis for the sixth spot when contact was made, and Smith spun the Allsouth Racing Products Warrior in turn one. Johnson led Buckingham, Fields, Gentry, King, Purvis, and Lumley down for the restart.
Johnson had a close call on lap 25 when Sammons spun in front of him in turn four. Johnson took evasive action, and just missed getting collected. When the field went back to green flag racing, King passed Gentry for the fourth spot. Purvis passed Gentry for fifth on lap 27.
Gentry was about to have an even worse night, when he was involved in a tangle in turn two on lap 28 that sent his car over the turn two banking. That resulted in a red flag, while track officials retrieved Gentry’s car out of the boondocks. After a couple of more yellow flag periods for solo spins and stalled cars, Johnson was able to set sail with clear race track in front of him for the next 15 laps.
Johnson encountered lapped traffic on lap 45, and once he threaded his way through, he pulled out to a half straightaway lead over Buckingham.
The next event for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be a two-day show on Monday and Tuesday at Clarksville StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, TN for the $7,500-to-win Freedom 75. Drivers will qualify and run heat races on Monday night, and then return on Tuesday night for the B-Mains, and the feature race.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 9 AT THUNDERHILL RACEWAY IN LAWRENCEBURG, TN ON 7/2/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $3,000
2. 5 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 50 $1,500
3. 1 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 50 $1,450
4. 12 15 Jeff Purvis Clarksville, TN 50 $1,100
5. 10 14 Brandon King Decatur, AL 50 $1,000
6. 3 54 Terry Lumley Twin City, GA 50 $850
7. 14 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 50 $750
8. 15 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 50 $700
9. 9 16a Steven Ashby Cunningham, TN 50 $650
10. 23 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 50 $700
11. 16 36 James Young Brandon, MS 50 $550
12. 17 97 Mike Bechelli Elizabethtown, IN 50 $500
13. 6 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 46 $450
14. 18 41 Ben Davis Culleoka, TN 46 $400
15. 24 17x Mitchell Browning Cedartown, GA 45 $350
16. 11 34 Matt Barrett (R) Knoxville, TN 36 $300
17. 7 1 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 27 $280
18. 8 1a Tony Albright Clarksville, TN 27 $250
19. 19 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 27 $250
20. 13 3 Roger Brewer Tuscumbia, AL 25 $250
21. 21 G1 Gary Sammons Murfreesboro, TN 24 $250
22. 4 17s Shane Roberts Bristol, TN 20 $250
23. 20 6 William Burns Tuscumbia, AL 17 $250
24. 22 00x Don Smith Villanow, GA 5 $250
ENTRIES: 34
FAST QUALIFIER: Fields, 12.658 Seconds, 71.101 MPH
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Johnson, 1-50
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Turner (started 23rd and finished 10th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Beard
CAUTIONS: 9 (1 Red Flag)
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH (6 Laps – From May 27): 1. Fields; 2. Nipper; 3. Johnson; 4. Lumley; 5. Roberts; 6. Buckingham.
1ST B-MAIN (12 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Feature Race - From May 27): 1. Stokes; 2. Beard (R); 3. Bechelli; 4. Cadmus; 5. Burns; 6. Gifford; 7. Mike Parker.
2ND B-MAIN (12 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Feature Race - From May 27): 1. Willard; 2. Young; 3. Keener; 4. Marvin Parker; 5. Cook; 6. Miller.
NOTE: Nipper, C. Parker, Stokes, Willard, Keener, Cadmus, Marvin Parker, Cook, Miller, and Mike Parker did not return for the July 2 rain date. Sammons, Turner, Davis, and D. Smith were added to the July 2 starting field.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 7/2/06:
For Johnson, the race was a turning point after a string of bad luck dropped him to third in the point standings. With the victory, Johnson moved into a tie for the second spot with David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN.
“With the luck I’d been having recently, I was wonder if this was going to be our night, or not,” Johnson said. “The car got loose late in the race, and I kept waiting for someone to drive by me, but nobody showed up. I had a close call with a lapped car around the middle of the race, but other than that, it was a pretty smooth run.”
Shannon Buckingham finished in the second spot driving the S&S Millwright Barry Wright. Buckingham kept his streak going of being the only driver in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series to complete every lap of competition, and finish in the top ten in all nine races so far this season. Buckingham leads the series National point standings by 54 points over Johnson and Gentry,
Polesitter Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA finished in the third spot driving the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt. Fields and his crew made hasty repairs to fix a broken right-rear birdcage suffered in hot laps. Fields was the fast qualifier for the event turning the ¼-mile clay oval in 12.658 seconds for an average speed of 71.101 miles per hour, and then won the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash.
Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN was fourth in the StormPay.com/NeSmith Chevrolet Warrior, and Brandon King of Decatur, AL posted his third straight top five finish in StormPay.com DLMS action with a fifth-place effort in the Empire LNC Services Mastersbilt. Terry Lumley of Twin City, GA took the sixth spot in the Kar House Racing Radiators Mastersbilt.
Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA drove the B&B Specialized Hauling GRT to a seventh-place finish, and Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA came back from an early race spin to finish eighth in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright, and was the Rookie of the Race. Steven Ashby of Cunningham, TN was ninth in The Wheel Shop Stinger.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA started 23rd and rallied to a tenth-place finish in the Turner Excavating Hicks to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Johnson took the lead from his outside front row starting spot at the drop of the green flag followed by Fields, Shane Roberts of Bristol, TN in the Pizza Plus GRT, Lumley, and Buckingham. On lap two, Buckingham passed Lumley for the fourth spot, and then got around Roberts for third on lap five.
Gentry charged from his seventh starting spot in the Hawkins Equipment Mastersbilt to pass Roberts for fourth on lap seven. Gentry was battling a car with a bent frame after a hot lap mishap.
Beard spun in turn four on lap eight to bring out the first of nine caution flags. Johnson led Fields, Buckingham, Gentry, and Roberts down for the restart. Buckingham dove for the bottom groove on the restart, and passed Fields for the second spot coming off the fourth turn. Mitchell Browning of Cedartown, GA spun the B&B Specialized Hauling GRT in turn four on lap 11 to bring out the second caution flag.
On the restart, Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA was on the move, as he passed Lumley and Roberts to move into the fifth spot, and King moved up to eighth. Buckingham dodged a bullet on lap 18 when Gary Sammons of Murfreesboro, TN spun in front of him coming off turn two for the third caution flag.
King was on the move when the field went back to green, moving up to the fifth spot on lap 19. King was working inside Gentry for the fourth position on lap 20 when the yellow light flashed for a two-car tangle in turn three involving Roger Brewer of Tuscumbia, AL in the Classic Environmental Larry Shaw, and Mike Bechelli of Elizabethtown, IN driving the Lucas Oil Rocket.
On the restart, Smith was battling with Purvis for the sixth spot when contact was made, and Smith spun the Allsouth Racing Products Warrior in turn one. Johnson led Buckingham, Fields, Gentry, King, Purvis, and Lumley down for the restart.
Johnson had a close call on lap 25 when Sammons spun in front of him in turn four. Johnson took evasive action, and just missed getting collected. When the field went back to green flag racing, King passed Gentry for the fourth spot. Purvis passed Gentry for fifth on lap 27.
Gentry was about to have an even worse night, when he was involved in a tangle in turn two on lap 28 that sent his car over the turn two banking. That resulted in a red flag, while track officials retrieved Gentry’s car out of the boondocks. After a couple of more yellow flag periods for solo spins and stalled cars, Johnson was able to set sail with clear race track in front of him for the next 15 laps.
Johnson encountered lapped traffic on lap 45, and once he threaded his way through, he pulled out to a half straightaway lead over Buckingham.
The next event for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be a two-day show on Monday and Tuesday at Clarksville StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, TN for the $7,500-to-win Freedom 75. Drivers will qualify and run heat races on Monday night, and then return on Tuesday night for the B-Mains, and the feature race.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 9 AT THUNDERHILL RACEWAY IN LAWRENCEBURG, TN ON 7/2/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $3,000
2. 5 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 50 $1,500
3. 1 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 50 $1,450
4. 12 15 Jeff Purvis Clarksville, TN 50 $1,100
5. 10 14 Brandon King Decatur, AL 50 $1,000
6. 3 54 Terry Lumley Twin City, GA 50 $850
7. 14 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 50 $750
8. 15 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 50 $700
9. 9 16a Steven Ashby Cunningham, TN 50 $650
10. 23 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 50 $700
11. 16 36 James Young Brandon, MS 50 $550
12. 17 97 Mike Bechelli Elizabethtown, IN 50 $500
13. 6 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 46 $450
14. 18 41 Ben Davis Culleoka, TN 46 $400
15. 24 17x Mitchell Browning Cedartown, GA 45 $350
16. 11 34 Matt Barrett (R) Knoxville, TN 36 $300
17. 7 1 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 27 $280
18. 8 1a Tony Albright Clarksville, TN 27 $250
19. 19 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 27 $250
20. 13 3 Roger Brewer Tuscumbia, AL 25 $250
21. 21 G1 Gary Sammons Murfreesboro, TN 24 $250
22. 4 17s Shane Roberts Bristol, TN 20 $250
23. 20 6 William Burns Tuscumbia, AL 17 $250
24. 22 00x Don Smith Villanow, GA 5 $250
ENTRIES: 34
FAST QUALIFIER: Fields, 12.658 Seconds, 71.101 MPH
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Johnson, 1-50
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Turner (started 23rd and finished 10th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Beard
CAUTIONS: 9 (1 Red Flag)
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH (6 Laps – From May 27): 1. Fields; 2. Nipper; 3. Johnson; 4. Lumley; 5. Roberts; 6. Buckingham.
1ST B-MAIN (12 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Feature Race - From May 27): 1. Stokes; 2. Beard (R); 3. Bechelli; 4. Cadmus; 5. Burns; 6. Gifford; 7. Mike Parker.
2ND B-MAIN (12 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Feature Race - From May 27): 1. Willard; 2. Young; 3. Keener; 4. Marvin Parker; 5. Cook; 6. Miller.
NOTE: Nipper, C. Parker, Stokes, Willard, Keener, Cadmus, Marvin Parker, Cook, Miller, and Mike Parker did not return for the July 2 rain date. Sammons, Turner, Davis, and D. Smith were added to the July 2 starting field.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 7/2/06:
- Shannon Buckingham – 844
- David Gentry – 790
- Ronnie Johnson – 790
- Jeff Smith – 738
- Jeff Fields – 724
- Frankie Beard (R) – 692
- Zach Nichols – 650
- Jeff Purvis – 614
- Carnell Parker III – 612
- Matthew Turner – 516
- Jordy Nipper – 412
- Denny Slayton – 378
- Michael Page (R) – 346
- Jimmy Kay – 326
- Ryan Gifford – 320
