FLOMATON, AL – Chris O’Connor of Cantonment, FL earned the pole position for the 75-lap $5,000-to-win main event at Flomaton Speedway for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour. O’Connor drove the Coggin Land Service Warrior to victory in the first 12-lap heat race on Friday night to earn the pole for Saturday night’s big show.
Rusty Ellis of Brewton, AL won the second 12-lap heat race in the L&W Insulation Trak-Star to take the outside front row starting spot for the main event. Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA will start the main event from the inside of the second row after winning the third 12-lap heat race in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.
Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA won the fourth 12-lap heat race in the Barto Enterprises Warrior on Friday night, and will start the Saturday night main event from the outside of the second row.
The four 12-lap heat races on Friday night transferred the top four finishers in each heat race to the 75-lap $5,000-to-win main event on Saturday night.
Following O’Connor in heat one were Shep Lucas of McKenzie, AL in the Signature Construction Trak-Star, Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL in the All-Star Graphics GRT, and Stephen Brantley of Monroeville, AL in the Airport Sports Center Mastersbilt. They will start fifth, ninth, and 13th respectively in the main event.
Lucas was the fast qualifier among the 35 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile dirt oval in 12.548 seconds.
Trailing Ellis in the second heat to earn the sixth, tenth, and 14th main event starting spots respectively were Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Turner Excavating DWB, Jim Till of Greenville, AL in the Dafor Heavy Timber Fabricators Trak-Star, and Bo Odom of Flomaton, AL in the Bill Patterson Construction Trick.
Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL was second in the third heat to earn the seventh starting spot in the McLeod Construction TNT, and was joined the by third and fourth-place finishers, Jay Blair of Angie, LA, who will start 11th in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt, and Mark Clifton of Brewton, AL, who starts the big show from the 15th spot in the Escambia County Bank GRT.
The eighth, 12th, and 16th starting spots of the “Sweet 16” main event starting line-up were the second, third and fourth-place finishers respectively in the fourth heat. Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA was second in the CSC Trailer Repair GRT, followed by Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS in the Boland Performance Trak-Star, and William Thomas of Phenix City, AL in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion.
Drivers that finished fifth on back in each heat race will have a second opportunity to make the big show on Saturday night through one of two 15-lap B-Main races. Each B-Main will transfer the top three finishers into the main event.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point leader Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA is still on the outside looking in, and will start his J&J Transport Mastersbilt from the pole position of the first 15-lap B-main. Chris Tays of Corinth, MS, who is third in the National points, will also run the first B-main from the sixth starting spot in the Bud Coley Trucking Rocket.
Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame will be at Flomaton Speedway on Saturday night to sing the National Anthem and serve as Grand Marshall for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series event. Race fans will also be bidding in a special auction for a ride with Larry Boutwell, Shep Lucas, and Josh Huss in a two-seat dirt late model race car to benefit the American Cancer Society.
Gates open at 4 p.m., with racing scheduled for 7:30 p.m. For more information call Flomaton Speedway at 251-296-DIRT (3478), or visit the track web site at www.flomatonspeedway.com. Flomaton Speedway is located one-mile west of U.S. Highway 31 on State Road 113.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF ROUND 4 AT FLOMATON SPEEDWAY IN FLOMATON, AL ON 3/21/08:
QUALIFYING:
POS
CAR #
DRIVER
HOMETOWN
CHASSIS
ENG
LAP 1
LAP 2
TIME
1
57
Shep Lucas
McKenzie, AL
Trak-Star
604
12.653
12.548
12.548
2
88
Rusty Ellis
Brewton, AL
Trak Star
604
12.784
12.678
12.678
3
58
Larry Boutwell
Baker, FL
TnT
604
12.833
12.680
12.680
4
38c
Chip Brindle
Chatsworth, GA
GRT
604
12.695
15.196
12.695
5
17
Chris O'Connor
Cantonment, FL
Warrior
604
12.771
12.956
12.771
6
44t
Jim Till
Greenville, AL
Trak Star
604
12.783
13.081
12.783
7
F9
Frank Ingram
Woodstock, GA
Rocket
604
12.804
14.366
12.804
8
87
Derrick Rainey
Powder Springs, GA
Warrior
604
13.404
12.854
12.854
9
02
Stephen Brantley
Monroeville, AL
Mastersbilt
604
12.867
12.932
12.867
10
25
Josh Huss
Flomaton, AL
TnT
604
12.915
13.984
12.915
11
41
Ted Lackey
Munford, AL
Warrior
604
12.948
12.943
12.943
12
22
Lucky Keeton
Toomsuba, MS
Trak Star
604
13.026
12.954
12.954
13
66k
Scott Knowles - R
Lanett, AL
GRT
604
13.180
12.982
12.982
14
10
Matthew Turner
Dawsonville, GA
DWB
604
13.282
12.986
12.986
15
30
Mark Clifton
Brewton, AL
GRT
604
13.015
13.061
13.015
16
22
William Thomas
Phenix City, AL
Scorpion
604
13.017
13.036
13.017
17
16
Jeff Fields
Aragon, GA
Mastersbilt
604
13.143
13.072
13.072
18
55
Bo Odom
Flomaton, AL
Trick
602
13.074
13.203
13.074
19
8
Chris Tays
Corinth, MS
Rocket
604
13.113
13.093
13.093
20
1m
Jim Moon - R
Zionsville, IN
Rocket
604
13.096
13.276
13.096
21
33c
Eric Cooley - R
Fulton, MS
Mastersbilt
604
13.351
13.134
13.134
22
18
Clint Holmes
Molino, FL
GRT
604
13.167
13.477
13.167
23
112
Jay Blair
Angie, LA
Mastersbilt
604
13.235
13.269
13.235
24
12
Hunter Peacock - R
Macon, GA
Bullet
604
13.269
13.251
13.251
25
1c
Chris Carlson
S. Milwaukee, WI
Rocket
604
13.661
13.302
13.302
26
52
Marc Gooden
LaFayette, AL
GRT
604
13.335
13.333
13.333
27
19
Marcus Minga - R
Shannon, MS
Rayburn
604
14.098
13.333
13.333
28
8h
Heath Gibson
Brewton, AL
GRT
604
13.580
13.379
13.379
29
34
Chad Wallace - R
LaGrange, GA
GRT
604
13.502
13.389
13.389
30
00h
Chris Hoomes
Brewton, AL
GRT
604
13.880
13.407
13.407
31
14
Steve Godsey - R
Bedford, IN
Rayburn
604
13.431
13.535
13.431
32
25c
Chris Griffin
Flomaton, AL
TnT
602
13.437
13.745
13.437
33
1h
Jason Hiett - R
Lincoln, AL
GRT
604
13.453
13.450
13.450
34
51
Kenny Townson
Evergreen, AL
Larry Shaw
602
14.214
14.762
14.214
35
247
Spanky Sexton
Brewton, AL
Weeks
602
14.833
14.527
14.527
HEAT RACES (12 Laps – Top 4 Finishers Transfer To Main Event):
1ST HEAT: 1. O’Connor; 2. Lucas; 3. Knowles (R); 4. Brantley; 5. Fields; 6. Carlson; 7. Hiett (R); 8. Cooley (R); 9. Wallace (R).
2ND HEAT: 1. Ellis; 2. Turner; 3. Till; 4. Odom; 5. Holmes; 6. Huss; 7. Gooden; 8. Hoomes; 9. Townson.
3RD HEAT: 1. Ingram; 2. Boutwell; 3. Blair; 4. Clifton; 5. Lackey; 6. Godsey (R); 7. Tays; 8. Sexton; 9. Minga (R).
4TH HEAT: 1. Rainey; 2. Brindle; 3. Keeton; 4. Thomas; 5. Peacock; 6. Gibson; 7. Moon (R); 8. Griffin.
“SWEET 16” FEATURE RACE STARTING LINE-UP:
ROW 1:
17 Chris O’Connor – 88 Rusty Ellis
ROW 2:
F9 Frank Ingram – 87 Derrick Rainey
ROW 3:
57 Shep Lucas – 10 Matthew Turner
ROW 4:
58 Larry Boutwell – 38c Chip Brindle
ROW 5:
66k Scott Knowles (R) – 44t Jim Till
ROW 6:
112 Jay Blair – 22 Lucky Keeton
ROW 7:
02 Stephen Brantley – 55 Bo Odom
ROW 8:
30 Mark Clifton – 22 William Thomas
B-MAIN STARTING LINE-UPS (15 Laps – Top 3 Finishers Transfer To Main Event):
1ST B-MAIN:
16 Jeff Fields – 41 Ted Lackey
1c Chris Carlson – 14 Steve Godsey (R)
1h Jason Hiett (R) – 8 Chris Tays
33c Eric Cooley (R) – 247 Spanky Sexton
34 Chad Wallace (R) – 19 Marcus Minga (R)
2ND B-MAIN:
18 Clint Holmes – 12 Hunter Peacock (R)
25 Josh Huss – 8h Heath Gibson
52 Marc Gooden – 1m Jim Moon (R)
00 Chris Hoomes – 25c Chris Griffin
51 Kenny Townson
R – Denotes Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidate
Rusty Ellis of Brewton, AL won the second 12-lap heat race in the L&W Insulation Trak-Star to take the outside front row starting spot for the main event. Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA will start the main event from the inside of the second row after winning the third 12-lap heat race in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.
Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA won the fourth 12-lap heat race in the Barto Enterprises Warrior on Friday night, and will start the Saturday night main event from the outside of the second row.
The four 12-lap heat races on Friday night transferred the top four finishers in each heat race to the 75-lap $5,000-to-win main event on Saturday night.
Following O’Connor in heat one were Shep Lucas of McKenzie, AL in the Signature Construction Trak-Star, Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL in the All-Star Graphics GRT, and Stephen Brantley of Monroeville, AL in the Airport Sports Center Mastersbilt. They will start fifth, ninth, and 13th respectively in the main event.
Lucas was the fast qualifier among the 35 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile dirt oval in 12.548 seconds.
Trailing Ellis in the second heat to earn the sixth, tenth, and 14th main event starting spots respectively were Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Turner Excavating DWB, Jim Till of Greenville, AL in the Dafor Heavy Timber Fabricators Trak-Star, and Bo Odom of Flomaton, AL in the Bill Patterson Construction Trick.
Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL was second in the third heat to earn the seventh starting spot in the McLeod Construction TNT, and was joined the by third and fourth-place finishers, Jay Blair of Angie, LA, who will start 11th in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt, and Mark Clifton of Brewton, AL, who starts the big show from the 15th spot in the Escambia County Bank GRT.
The eighth, 12th, and 16th starting spots of the “Sweet 16” main event starting line-up were the second, third and fourth-place finishers respectively in the fourth heat. Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA was second in the CSC Trailer Repair GRT, followed by Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS in the Boland Performance Trak-Star, and William Thomas of Phenix City, AL in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion.
Drivers that finished fifth on back in each heat race will have a second opportunity to make the big show on Saturday night through one of two 15-lap B-Main races. Each B-Main will transfer the top three finishers into the main event.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point leader Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA is still on the outside looking in, and will start his J&J Transport Mastersbilt from the pole position of the first 15-lap B-main. Chris Tays of Corinth, MS, who is third in the National points, will also run the first B-main from the sixth starting spot in the Bud Coley Trucking Rocket.
Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame will be at Flomaton Speedway on Saturday night to sing the National Anthem and serve as Grand Marshall for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series event. Race fans will also be bidding in a special auction for a ride with Larry Boutwell, Shep Lucas, and Josh Huss in a two-seat dirt late model race car to benefit the American Cancer Society.
Gates open at 4 p.m., with racing scheduled for 7:30 p.m. For more information call Flomaton Speedway at 251-296-DIRT (3478), or visit the track web site at www.flomatonspeedway.com. Flomaton Speedway is located one-mile west of U.S. Highway 31 on State Road 113.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF ROUND 4 AT FLOMATON SPEEDWAY IN FLOMATON, AL ON 3/21/08:
QUALIFYING:
POS
CAR #
DRIVER
HOMETOWN
CHASSIS
ENG
LAP 1
LAP 2
TIME
1
57
Shep Lucas
McKenzie, AL
Trak-Star
604
12.653
12.548
12.548
2
88
Rusty Ellis
Brewton, AL
Trak Star
604
12.784
12.678
12.678
3
58
Larry Boutwell
Baker, FL
TnT
604
12.833
12.680
12.680
4
38c
Chip Brindle
Chatsworth, GA
GRT
604
12.695
15.196
12.695
5
17
Chris O'Connor
Cantonment, FL
Warrior
604
12.771
12.956
12.771
6
44t
Jim Till
Greenville, AL
Trak Star
604
12.783
13.081
12.783
7
F9
Frank Ingram
Woodstock, GA
Rocket
604
12.804
14.366
12.804
8
87
Derrick Rainey
Powder Springs, GA
Warrior
604
13.404
12.854
12.854
9
02
Stephen Brantley
Monroeville, AL
Mastersbilt
604
12.867
12.932
12.867
10
25
Josh Huss
Flomaton, AL
TnT
604
12.915
13.984
12.915
11
41
Ted Lackey
Munford, AL
Warrior
604
12.948
12.943
12.943
12
22
Lucky Keeton
Toomsuba, MS
Trak Star
604
13.026
12.954
12.954
13
66k
Scott Knowles - R
Lanett, AL
GRT
604
13.180
12.982
12.982
14
10
Matthew Turner
Dawsonville, GA
DWB
604
13.282
12.986
12.986
15
30
Mark Clifton
Brewton, AL
GRT
604
13.015
13.061
13.015
16
22
William Thomas
Phenix City, AL
Scorpion
604
13.017
13.036
13.017
17
16
Jeff Fields
Aragon, GA
Mastersbilt
604
13.143
13.072
13.072
18
55
Bo Odom
Flomaton, AL
Trick
602
13.074
13.203
13.074
19
8
Chris Tays
Corinth, MS
Rocket
604
13.113
13.093
13.093
20
1m
Jim Moon - R
Zionsville, IN
Rocket
604
13.096
13.276
13.096
21
33c
Eric Cooley - R
Fulton, MS
Mastersbilt
604
13.351
13.134
13.134
22
18
Clint Holmes
Molino, FL
GRT
604
13.167
13.477
13.167
23
112
Jay Blair
Angie, LA
Mastersbilt
604
13.235
13.269
13.235
24
12
Hunter Peacock - R
Macon, GA
Bullet
604
13.269
13.251
13.251
25
1c
Chris Carlson
S. Milwaukee, WI
Rocket
604
13.661
13.302
13.302
26
52
Marc Gooden
LaFayette, AL
GRT
604
13.335
13.333
13.333
27
19
Marcus Minga - R
Shannon, MS
Rayburn
604
14.098
13.333
13.333
28
8h
Heath Gibson
Brewton, AL
GRT
604
13.580
13.379
13.379
29
34
Chad Wallace - R
LaGrange, GA
GRT
604
13.502
13.389
13.389
30
00h
Chris Hoomes
Brewton, AL
GRT
604
13.880
13.407
13.407
31
14
Steve Godsey - R
Bedford, IN
Rayburn
604
13.431
13.535
13.431
32
25c
Chris Griffin
Flomaton, AL
TnT
602
13.437
13.745
13.437
33
1h
Jason Hiett - R
Lincoln, AL
GRT
604
13.453
13.450
13.450
34
51
Kenny Townson
Evergreen, AL
Larry Shaw
602
14.214
14.762
14.214
35
247
Spanky Sexton
Brewton, AL
Weeks
602
14.833
14.527
14.527
HEAT RACES (12 Laps – Top 4 Finishers Transfer To Main Event):
1ST HEAT: 1. O’Connor; 2. Lucas; 3. Knowles (R); 4. Brantley; 5. Fields; 6. Carlson; 7. Hiett (R); 8. Cooley (R); 9. Wallace (R).
2ND HEAT: 1. Ellis; 2. Turner; 3. Till; 4. Odom; 5. Holmes; 6. Huss; 7. Gooden; 8. Hoomes; 9. Townson.
3RD HEAT: 1. Ingram; 2. Boutwell; 3. Blair; 4. Clifton; 5. Lackey; 6. Godsey (R); 7. Tays; 8. Sexton; 9. Minga (R).
4TH HEAT: 1. Rainey; 2. Brindle; 3. Keeton; 4. Thomas; 5. Peacock; 6. Gibson; 7. Moon (R); 8. Griffin.
“SWEET 16” FEATURE RACE STARTING LINE-UP:
ROW 1:
17 Chris O’Connor – 88 Rusty Ellis
ROW 2:
F9 Frank Ingram – 87 Derrick Rainey
ROW 3:
57 Shep Lucas – 10 Matthew Turner
ROW 4:
58 Larry Boutwell – 38c Chip Brindle
ROW 5:
66k Scott Knowles (R) – 44t Jim Till
ROW 6:
112 Jay Blair – 22 Lucky Keeton
ROW 7:
02 Stephen Brantley – 55 Bo Odom
ROW 8:
30 Mark Clifton – 22 William Thomas
B-MAIN STARTING LINE-UPS (15 Laps – Top 3 Finishers Transfer To Main Event):
1ST B-MAIN:
16 Jeff Fields – 41 Ted Lackey
1c Chris Carlson – 14 Steve Godsey (R)
1h Jason Hiett (R) – 8 Chris Tays
33c Eric Cooley (R) – 247 Spanky Sexton
34 Chad Wallace (R) – 19 Marcus Minga (R)
2ND B-MAIN:
18 Clint Holmes – 12 Hunter Peacock (R)
25 Josh Huss – 8h Heath Gibson
52 Marc Gooden – 1m Jim Moon (R)
00 Chris Hoomes – 25c Chris Griffin
51 Kenny Townson
R – Denotes Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidate
