PHENIX CITY, AL – William Thomas of Phenix City, AL kept the $3,000 top prize at home after winning the 50-lap StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series main event on Saturday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway. The third generation driver led all 50 laps, and held off a hard charge by the defending StormPay.com DLMS National Champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN.
In addition to taking the win, and leading all of the laps, Thomas made it a dominating “clean sweep” by also setting fast time among the 36 entrants in qualifications, turning the 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval in 15.910 seconds in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion.
Gentry made several bids with an inside move to take the lead away from Thomas, but had to settle for second in the Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt. Gentry took over the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point lead after the apparent third-place finisher Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA was light at the scales after the race, and penalized to the 25th finishing spot.
That dropped Ingram back to the second spot in the series points chase, but he is only ten points behind Gentry.
Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL moved up to the third spot in The Racing Zone GRT, and Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA finished fourth in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Warrior. Rainey is third in the series point standings, just 34 points behind Gentry, and 24 points behind Ingram.
The 2006 StormPay.com Rookie of the Year Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA took the fifth spot in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright. Dana Eiland of Salem, AL was sixth in the Andy’s Auto Parts GRT, and Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA finished seventh in the Ben Thomas Racing Scorpion.
Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA finished eighth in the Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT and was the Rookie of the Race. Stacey Roberts of Sylvester, GA drove the Sunbelt Ford Rocket to a ninth-place finish, and Bill Flowers of Bremen, GA rounded out the top ten in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.
Robert Stutts of Murfreesboro, TN started 23rd and finished 12th in the Bob Parks Realty Rocket to claim the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award. In preliminary action, the three 12-lap Heat Races were won by Eiland, Jay Blair of Angie, LA in the Parrish Disposal Mastersbilt, and Larry Harrod of Plains, GA in the Harrod Logging GRT.
After three double-file starts were negated by spins and a five-car pile-up on the backstretch, the field took the green flag in single-file order with Thomas leading Gentry, Ingram, Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA in the Summerville Junkyard Rayburn, and Nowell. Thomas made a quick getaway, leading Gentry by a half straightaway at the completion of lap five.
Blair spun in turn four on lap nine to bring out the caution flag which enabled Gentry and Ingram to close up on Thomas for the restart. Thomas once again pulled away while Gentry and Ingram battled the second spot. Thomas encountered lapped traffic on lap 18, while Gentry and Ingram closed the gap.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA stalled the Turner Excavating Hick on the backstretch on lap 22 to light up the caution bulb. Thomas led Gentry, Ingram, Fields, Nowell, Rainey, Knowles, Roberts, Beard, and Harrod down for the restart. Roberts slipped off the backstretch on the restart, and Eiland bolted from the 11th spot to ninth.
On lap 24, Beard got around Knowles for the seventh spot, and Harrod dropped out of the top ten by coasting into the pits on lap 31 with a flat right-rear tire. Thomas caught lapped traffic on lap 33, and Gentry and Ingram closed in on the race leader.
Opportunity knocked for Gentry and Ingram on lap 37, and they took Thomas three-wide in turn three. Gentry powered inside Thomas, while Ingram went to the outside in the Universal Concrete Rocket. The top three cars were three-wide in turn four when Larry Eldridge of Columbus, GA spun the Outdoor Products Warrior in turn one and the yellow flag came out.
With the lapped traffic out of the way, Thomas took off on the restart followed by Gentry, Ingram, Fields and Nowell. The battle for the fourth began to heat up, and came to a full boil on lap 39. Nowell went to the inside of Fields on the front stretch, and Fields hit the wall, and sailed off the track in turn one to bring the yellow flag for the seventh time in the race.
The final caution flag cam out on lap 46 when Chris Tays of Corinth, MS in the Bud Coley Trucking Rocket, Marc Gooden of Lafayette, AL in the J-Par Trucking GRT, and Harrod got together in turn four. Gentry tried to make another inside move on the restart, but Thomas held him off for the last five laps of the race.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 14 AT EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN PHENIX CITY, AL ON 7/21/07:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL 50 $3,000
2. 2 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 50 $1,600
3. 5 7 Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL 50 $1,250
4. 6 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 50 $1,100
5. 9 21b Frankie Beard Hartwell, GA 50 $1,000
6. 11 K9 Dana Eiland Salem, AL 50 $850
7. 10 66 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA 50 $750
8. 18 38c Chip Brindle (R) Chatsworth, GA 50 $700
9. 7 B5 Stacey Roberts Sylvester, GA 50 $650
10. 16 06 Bill Flowers Bremen, GA 50 $600
11. 4 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 50 $550
12. 23 302 Robert Stutts (R) Murfreesboro, TN 50 $600
13. 22 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS 50 $450
14. 19 52 Marc Gooden Lafayette, AL 49 $400
15. 15 44t Jim Till (R) Greenville, AL 45 $350
16. 14 17 Larry Eldridge Columbus, GA 45 $300
17. 13 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA 43 $280
18. 21 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 35 $250
19. 12 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA 34 $250
20. 25 34 Chad Wallace LaGrange, GA 16 $250
21. 17 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 10 $250
22. 20 K8 Bobby Eiland Phenix City, AL 8 $250
23. 8 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 4 $250
24. 24 21 Rusty Hoge Ooltewah, TN 4 $250
25. 3 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA DQ-LT $250
ENTRIES: 36
FAST QUALIFIER: Thomas, 15.910 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Stutts and Hoge
PROMOTER’S PROVISIONAL: Wallace
LAPS LED: Thomas, 1-50
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Stutts (started 23rd and finished 12th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Brindle
CAUTIONS: 9
QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS ENG LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 22w William Thomas Phenix City, AL Scorpion 604 15.910 15.980 15.910
2 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN Mastersbilt 604 15.940 16.140 15.940
3 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA Rocket 604 16.360 16.070 16.070
4 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA Rayburn 604 19.450 16.220 16.220
5 7 Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL GRT 604 16.780 16.230 16.230
6 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA Warrior 604 16.660 16.280 16.280
7 B5 Stacey Roberts Sylvester, GA Rocket 604 16.290 16.290 16.290
8 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL TnT 604 16.510 16.300 16.300
9 21b Frankie Beard Hartwell, GA Barry Wright 604 16.310 16.670 16.310
10 66 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA Scorpion 604 16.430 16.330 16.330
11 17 Larry Eldridge Columbus, GA Warrior 604 16.670 16.360 16.360
12 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA Mastersbilt 604 16.360 16.370 16.360
13 27h Larry Harrod Jr. Plains, GA GRT 604 16.430 16.370 16.370
14 K9 Dana Eiland Salem, AL GRT 604 16.430 16.370 16.370
15 44t Jim Till - R Greenville, AL Trak Star 604 16.620 16.460 16.460
16 18 Mike Parkerson Columbus, GA Warrior 604 16.490 16.510 16.490
17 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS Mastersbilt 604 16.520 16.590 16.520
18 38c Chip Brindle - R Chatsworth, GA GRT 604 16.520 18.200 16.520
19 31 Anthony Meadows Lanett, AL GRT 604 16.630 16.540 16.540
20 12 Rusty Harmon Columbus, GA GRT 604 16.670 16.570 16.570
21 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA Hicks 604 16.840 16.600 16.600
22 110 Ricky Culpepper Hamilton, GA Rocket 604 16.750 16.610 16.610
23 47 Adam Martin Talladega, AL GRT 604 16.880 16.660 16.660
24 00 Chris Hoomes Brenton, AL GRT 604 16.660 16.950 16.660
25 52 Marc Gooden Lafayette, AL GRT 604 16.730 17.240 16.730
26 K8 Bobby Eiland Phenix City, AL GRT 604 16.750 16.780 16.750
27 44c Curtis Cline Douglasville, GA Warrior 604 16.820 16.930 16.820
28 06 Bill Flowers Bremen, GA Rocket 604 16.850 16.950 16.850
29 21 Rusty Hoge Ooltewah, TN GRT 604 17.220 16.870 16.870
30 34 Chad Wallace LaGrange, GA GRT 604 17.230 17.000 17.000
31 90 Jimmy Kay Taylorsville, GA GRT 604 17.030 17.180 17.030
32 17 Jackson Hale Southside, AL Rayburn 604 17.740 17.050 17.050
33 302 Robert Stutts - R Murfreesboro, TN Rocket 604 NT 17.060 17.060
34 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS Rocket 604 17.720 17.350 17.350
35 k17 Cory Korreckt Lincoln, AL Rocket 602 18.350 17.810 17.810
36 32 Calvin Gardner Temple, GA Mastersbilt 604 NT NT NT
HEAT RACES (12 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):
1ST HEAT: 1. D. Eiland; 2. Eldridge; 3. Stokes; 4. B. Eiland; 5. Hale; 6. Hoge; 7. Korreckt; 8. Martin; 9. Harmon.
2ND HEAT: 1. Blair; 2. Till (R); 3. Brindle (R); 4. Turner; 5. Wallace; 6. Stutts (R); 7. Cline; 8. Hoomes; 9. Gardner DNS.
3RD HEAT: 1. Harrod; 2. Flowers; 3. Gooden; 4. Tays; 5. Kay; 6. Meadows; 7. Parkerson; 8. Culpepper DQ-LT.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 7/21/07:
1. 56 David Gentry – 1216
2. F9 Frank Ingram – 1206
3. 87 Derrick Rainey – 1182
4. 2x Jay Blair – 1150
5. 38c Chip Brindle (R) – 1088
6. 8 Chris Tays – 1032
7. 16 Jeff Fields – 1002
8. 302 Robert Stutts (R) – 974
9. 10 Matthew Turner – 932
10. 44t Jim Till (R) – 840
11. 21 Rusty Hoge – 740
12. 22 William Thomas – 572
13. 44 Shanon Buckingham – 566
14. 06 Bill Flowers – 552
15. 44c Curtis Cline – 544
16. 1 Johnny Stokes – 426
17. 75 Carnell Parker III – 396
18. 21x Kody Barber – 386
19. 58 Larry Boutwell – 354
20. 90 Jimmy Kay - 330
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate
In addition to taking the win, and leading all of the laps, Thomas made it a dominating “clean sweep” by also setting fast time among the 36 entrants in qualifications, turning the 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval in 15.910 seconds in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion.
Gentry made several bids with an inside move to take the lead away from Thomas, but had to settle for second in the Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt. Gentry took over the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point lead after the apparent third-place finisher Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA was light at the scales after the race, and penalized to the 25th finishing spot.
That dropped Ingram back to the second spot in the series points chase, but he is only ten points behind Gentry.
Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL moved up to the third spot in The Racing Zone GRT, and Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA finished fourth in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Warrior. Rainey is third in the series point standings, just 34 points behind Gentry, and 24 points behind Ingram.
The 2006 StormPay.com Rookie of the Year Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA took the fifth spot in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright. Dana Eiland of Salem, AL was sixth in the Andy’s Auto Parts GRT, and Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA finished seventh in the Ben Thomas Racing Scorpion.
Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA finished eighth in the Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT and was the Rookie of the Race. Stacey Roberts of Sylvester, GA drove the Sunbelt Ford Rocket to a ninth-place finish, and Bill Flowers of Bremen, GA rounded out the top ten in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.
Robert Stutts of Murfreesboro, TN started 23rd and finished 12th in the Bob Parks Realty Rocket to claim the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award. In preliminary action, the three 12-lap Heat Races were won by Eiland, Jay Blair of Angie, LA in the Parrish Disposal Mastersbilt, and Larry Harrod of Plains, GA in the Harrod Logging GRT.
After three double-file starts were negated by spins and a five-car pile-up on the backstretch, the field took the green flag in single-file order with Thomas leading Gentry, Ingram, Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA in the Summerville Junkyard Rayburn, and Nowell. Thomas made a quick getaway, leading Gentry by a half straightaway at the completion of lap five.
Blair spun in turn four on lap nine to bring out the caution flag which enabled Gentry and Ingram to close up on Thomas for the restart. Thomas once again pulled away while Gentry and Ingram battled the second spot. Thomas encountered lapped traffic on lap 18, while Gentry and Ingram closed the gap.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA stalled the Turner Excavating Hick on the backstretch on lap 22 to light up the caution bulb. Thomas led Gentry, Ingram, Fields, Nowell, Rainey, Knowles, Roberts, Beard, and Harrod down for the restart. Roberts slipped off the backstretch on the restart, and Eiland bolted from the 11th spot to ninth.
On lap 24, Beard got around Knowles for the seventh spot, and Harrod dropped out of the top ten by coasting into the pits on lap 31 with a flat right-rear tire. Thomas caught lapped traffic on lap 33, and Gentry and Ingram closed in on the race leader.
Opportunity knocked for Gentry and Ingram on lap 37, and they took Thomas three-wide in turn three. Gentry powered inside Thomas, while Ingram went to the outside in the Universal Concrete Rocket. The top three cars were three-wide in turn four when Larry Eldridge of Columbus, GA spun the Outdoor Products Warrior in turn one and the yellow flag came out.
With the lapped traffic out of the way, Thomas took off on the restart followed by Gentry, Ingram, Fields and Nowell. The battle for the fourth began to heat up, and came to a full boil on lap 39. Nowell went to the inside of Fields on the front stretch, and Fields hit the wall, and sailed off the track in turn one to bring the yellow flag for the seventh time in the race.
The final caution flag cam out on lap 46 when Chris Tays of Corinth, MS in the Bud Coley Trucking Rocket, Marc Gooden of Lafayette, AL in the J-Par Trucking GRT, and Harrod got together in turn four. Gentry tried to make another inside move on the restart, but Thomas held him off for the last five laps of the race.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 14 AT EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN PHENIX CITY, AL ON 7/21/07:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL 50 $3,000
2. 2 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 50 $1,600
3. 5 7 Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL 50 $1,250
4. 6 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 50 $1,100
5. 9 21b Frankie Beard Hartwell, GA 50 $1,000
6. 11 K9 Dana Eiland Salem, AL 50 $850
7. 10 66 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA 50 $750
8. 18 38c Chip Brindle (R) Chatsworth, GA 50 $700
9. 7 B5 Stacey Roberts Sylvester, GA 50 $650
10. 16 06 Bill Flowers Bremen, GA 50 $600
11. 4 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 50 $550
12. 23 302 Robert Stutts (R) Murfreesboro, TN 50 $600
13. 22 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS 50 $450
14. 19 52 Marc Gooden Lafayette, AL 49 $400
15. 15 44t Jim Till (R) Greenville, AL 45 $350
16. 14 17 Larry Eldridge Columbus, GA 45 $300
17. 13 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA 43 $280
18. 21 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 35 $250
19. 12 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA 34 $250
20. 25 34 Chad Wallace LaGrange, GA 16 $250
21. 17 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 10 $250
22. 20 K8 Bobby Eiland Phenix City, AL 8 $250
23. 8 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 4 $250
24. 24 21 Rusty Hoge Ooltewah, TN 4 $250
25. 3 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA DQ-LT $250
ENTRIES: 36
FAST QUALIFIER: Thomas, 15.910 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Stutts and Hoge
PROMOTER’S PROVISIONAL: Wallace
LAPS LED: Thomas, 1-50
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Stutts (started 23rd and finished 12th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Brindle
CAUTIONS: 9
QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS ENG LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 22w William Thomas Phenix City, AL Scorpion 604 15.910 15.980 15.910
2 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN Mastersbilt 604 15.940 16.140 15.940
3 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA Rocket 604 16.360 16.070 16.070
4 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA Rayburn 604 19.450 16.220 16.220
5 7 Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL GRT 604 16.780 16.230 16.230
6 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA Warrior 604 16.660 16.280 16.280
7 B5 Stacey Roberts Sylvester, GA Rocket 604 16.290 16.290 16.290
8 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL TnT 604 16.510 16.300 16.300
9 21b Frankie Beard Hartwell, GA Barry Wright 604 16.310 16.670 16.310
10 66 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA Scorpion 604 16.430 16.330 16.330
11 17 Larry Eldridge Columbus, GA Warrior 604 16.670 16.360 16.360
12 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA Mastersbilt 604 16.360 16.370 16.360
13 27h Larry Harrod Jr. Plains, GA GRT 604 16.430 16.370 16.370
14 K9 Dana Eiland Salem, AL GRT 604 16.430 16.370 16.370
15 44t Jim Till - R Greenville, AL Trak Star 604 16.620 16.460 16.460
16 18 Mike Parkerson Columbus, GA Warrior 604 16.490 16.510 16.490
17 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS Mastersbilt 604 16.520 16.590 16.520
18 38c Chip Brindle - R Chatsworth, GA GRT 604 16.520 18.200 16.520
19 31 Anthony Meadows Lanett, AL GRT 604 16.630 16.540 16.540
20 12 Rusty Harmon Columbus, GA GRT 604 16.670 16.570 16.570
21 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA Hicks 604 16.840 16.600 16.600
22 110 Ricky Culpepper Hamilton, GA Rocket 604 16.750 16.610 16.610
23 47 Adam Martin Talladega, AL GRT 604 16.880 16.660 16.660
24 00 Chris Hoomes Brenton, AL GRT 604 16.660 16.950 16.660
25 52 Marc Gooden Lafayette, AL GRT 604 16.730 17.240 16.730
26 K8 Bobby Eiland Phenix City, AL GRT 604 16.750 16.780 16.750
27 44c Curtis Cline Douglasville, GA Warrior 604 16.820 16.930 16.820
28 06 Bill Flowers Bremen, GA Rocket 604 16.850 16.950 16.850
29 21 Rusty Hoge Ooltewah, TN GRT 604 17.220 16.870 16.870
30 34 Chad Wallace LaGrange, GA GRT 604 17.230 17.000 17.000
31 90 Jimmy Kay Taylorsville, GA GRT 604 17.030 17.180 17.030
32 17 Jackson Hale Southside, AL Rayburn 604 17.740 17.050 17.050
33 302 Robert Stutts - R Murfreesboro, TN Rocket 604 NT 17.060 17.060
34 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS Rocket 604 17.720 17.350 17.350
35 k17 Cory Korreckt Lincoln, AL Rocket 602 18.350 17.810 17.810
36 32 Calvin Gardner Temple, GA Mastersbilt 604 NT NT NT
HEAT RACES (12 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):
1ST HEAT: 1. D. Eiland; 2. Eldridge; 3. Stokes; 4. B. Eiland; 5. Hale; 6. Hoge; 7. Korreckt; 8. Martin; 9. Harmon.
2ND HEAT: 1. Blair; 2. Till (R); 3. Brindle (R); 4. Turner; 5. Wallace; 6. Stutts (R); 7. Cline; 8. Hoomes; 9. Gardner DNS.
3RD HEAT: 1. Harrod; 2. Flowers; 3. Gooden; 4. Tays; 5. Kay; 6. Meadows; 7. Parkerson; 8. Culpepper DQ-LT.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 7/21/07:
1. 56 David Gentry – 1216
2. F9 Frank Ingram – 1206
3. 87 Derrick Rainey – 1182
4. 2x Jay Blair – 1150
5. 38c Chip Brindle (R) – 1088
6. 8 Chris Tays – 1032
7. 16 Jeff Fields – 1002
8. 302 Robert Stutts (R) – 974
9. 10 Matthew Turner – 932
10. 44t Jim Till (R) – 840
11. 21 Rusty Hoge – 740
12. 22 William Thomas – 572
13. 44 Shanon Buckingham – 566
14. 06 Bill Flowers – 552
15. 44c Curtis Cline – 544
16. 1 Johnny Stokes – 426
17. 75 Carnell Parker III – 396
18. 21x Kody Barber – 386
19. 58 Larry Boutwell – 354
20. 90 Jimmy Kay - 330
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate
