CROSSVILLE, TN – Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA was declared the winner of the 40-lap StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series main event Friday night at Crossville Raceway after the apparent winner Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN was found light at the scales during the post-race weigh-in.
A caution-filled race that saw the yellow flag wave 11 times caught three of the top five finishers burning off too much fuel to make the required weight at the end of the event. In addition to Buckingham, the apparent third-place finisher Tom Maddox of Centre, AL, and the apparent fifth-place finisher, Eddie Pace of Clarksville, TN, were also light at the scales.
“A win is a win, and we’ll take this one,” Beard said. “We did well in the first part of the year, and it feels good to run up front again.”
Beard started out the evening by setting fast time in his Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright with a lap around the 1/3-mile high-banked clay oval in 13.295 seconds for an average speed of 90.259 miles per hour. It was Beard’s second quick-time of the season, as he also set fast time at the season opener at Talladega Short Track in January.
After finishing second in that race, Beard began to struggle, and couldn’t seem to find the handle on his race car. Before the Crossville race, Beard picked up the phone and called National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Ronnie Johnson for some advice about the Crossville track.
“Ronnie Johnson told me what ever I did set-up wise at Talladega in January, do it for Crossville,” Beard said. “Ronnie told me where to run the track, and how to pass here. We had to work hard tonight, but it worked.”
What came to be the winning pass came on a lap 33 restart, when Beard threw a slider on the second-place car of Pace. Beard dove to the bottom of the track in turn one, and then used his momentum to slide up in front of Pace for the second spot coming off the second turn.
Buckingham’s disqualification dimmed his championship hopes with three point races left in the 2006 season. Point leader David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN leapfrogged from fourth to second in the Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt after the post-race weigh in. Gentry now leads Buckingham, who ended up finishing 22nd, by 94 points.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA ended up third in the All South Racing Products Warrior, and closed to within 74 points of Buckingham in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings.
Todd Minner of Murfreesboro, TN started his Thick and Dry Waterproofing Rocket from the 22nd starting position, and finished fourth to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA took the fifth spot in the WMF Racing Products Mastersbilt, and Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA was sixth in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket. Rainey’s teammate Michael Keener of Douglasville, GA drove his Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket to his best finish of the season with a seventh-place effort.
Barrett Terry of Sevierville, TN finished eighth in the S&S Concrete Warrior, and Steven Ashby of Cunningham, TN was ninth in The Wheel Shop Stinger. Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA rounded out the top ten in the All South Racing Products GRT.
Rusty Hoge of Ooltewah, TN drove his H&H Powersports GRT to the win in the StormPay.com Lightning-Quick 6 Dash to earn the pole position for the main event. At the start of the race, Brad Hall of Knoxville, TN took the lead from the outside front row starting spot in the Arlington Auto Sales Rocket.
The start was negated when Matt Wilson of Shelbyville, TN spun the Switcher Mastersbilt in turn four, and the field lined up for a complete restart. After the second green flag, it was Hall taking the lead followed by Hoge, Pace, Buckingham, and Beard.
By lap six, the leaders began to encounter heavy traffic from the tail of the field, and trouble awaited them on lap seven in turn one. A lapped car slid up in front of Hall, who checked up, and was hit in the back by Hoge. The top three cars of Hall, Hoge, and Pace spun in turn one to bring out the caution flag.
Hoge was ticketed with the caution and had to go to the rear of the pack for the restart, while Hall lined back up on the point with Pace second, Buckingham third, and Beard in fourth. Maddox moved up to the fifth spot followed by Terry, Smith, Gentry, Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA in the Scotty’s Muffler Newman, and Rodney Hamby of Rockwood, TN.
On the restart, Jimmy Kay of Taylorsville, GA hit the front straightaway wall with the Icebowl 2007/NeSmith Chevrolet GRT. Although his race car was destroyed, Kay walked away uninjured.
On the next restart, Buckingham dove under Pace in turn one to battle for the second spot, and made the pass stick going into turn three. The next caution flag came out on lap 11 when Nipper stalled in turn three while running seventh. After the restart, Buckingham took a look inside Hall for the lead, but could make the pass.
Buckingham stayed right on Hall’s rear bumper as they once again approached lapped traffic on lap 18. On lap 20, Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN slid his Market Street Performance GRT into the side of Buckingham on the front straightaway. By the time Buckingham collected his race car, Hall had pulled away, and was working lapped traffic in turn two.
Hall was going around the outside of the lapped car of Joe Denby of Tullahoma, TN on lap 21 down the backstretch when Denby’s A+ Moving Mastersbilt got into the left side of Hall, putting the leader in the wall, and out of the race. Buckingham went from being behind to inheriting the lead for the restart.
Pace, Beard, Maddox, Gentry, Terry, Smith, Ashby, Hamby, and Rainey followed Buckingham down for the restart. The next two cautions were for the ninth-place running Hamby, who spun his PPM Racing Products PPM in turn four on lap 24, and in turn two on lap 33. By lap 30, Buckingham had stretched out to a full straightaway lead over Pace.
Beard got busy on the lap 33 restart, pulling off the slide job on Pace for the second spot, for what would prove to be the winning move. Maddox and Gentry also got around Pace on lap 34 to move up to third and fourth respectively.
Even though there was plenty of passing on the race track, the most important passes of the night took place at the scales after the checkered flag had fallen. In addition to the race win, and the fast time honors, Beard was also the Rookie of the Race.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 16 AT CROSSVILLE RACEWAY IN CROSSVILLE, TN ON 9/29/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 6 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 40 $2,500
2. 10 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 40 $1,250
3. 7 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 40 $850
4. 22 G1 Todd Minner Murfreesboro, TN 40 $800
5. 14 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 40 $650
6. 20 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 40 $550
7. 21 25 Michael Keener Douglasville, GA 40 $500
8. 8 12t Barrett Terry Sevierville, TN 40 $450
9. 18 16a Steven Ashby Cunningham, TN 40 $400
10. 19 12 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 39 $375
11. 17 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 39 $350
12. 9 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 32 $300
13. 13 11 Rodney Hamby Rockwood, TN 32 $280
14. 16 27 Joe Denby Tullahoma, TN 32 $260
15. 2 47 Brad Hall Knoxville, TN 20 $250
16. 12 84 Matt Wilson Shelbyville, TN 18 $240
17. 11 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 10 $220
18. 1 21 Rusty Hoge Ooltewah, TN 10 $500
19. 15 75 Carnell Parker III Clarksville, TN 6 $200
20. 23 27n Roy Newsome Shelbyville, TN 6 $200
21. 24 90 Jimmy Kay Taylorsville, GA 6 $200
22. 3 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN DQ – Too Light
23. 5 43 Tom Maddox Centre, AL DQ – Too Light
24. 4 31 Eddie Pace Clarksville, TN DQ – Too Light
ENTRIES: 24
FAST QUALIFIER: Beard, 13.295 Second, 90.259 Miles Per Hour
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH: Hoge
LEAD CHANGES: 2
LAP LEADERS: Hall, 1-20; Beard, 21-40
LAPS LED: Hall, 20; Beard, 20
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Minner (started 22nd and finished 4th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Beard
CAUTIONS: 11
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING-QUICK 6 DASH (6 Laps): 1. Hoge; 2. Hall; 3. Buckingham; 4. Pace; 5. Maddox; 6. Beard.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 9/29/06:
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate
A caution-filled race that saw the yellow flag wave 11 times caught three of the top five finishers burning off too much fuel to make the required weight at the end of the event. In addition to Buckingham, the apparent third-place finisher Tom Maddox of Centre, AL, and the apparent fifth-place finisher, Eddie Pace of Clarksville, TN, were also light at the scales.
“A win is a win, and we’ll take this one,” Beard said. “We did well in the first part of the year, and it feels good to run up front again.”
Beard started out the evening by setting fast time in his Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright with a lap around the 1/3-mile high-banked clay oval in 13.295 seconds for an average speed of 90.259 miles per hour. It was Beard’s second quick-time of the season, as he also set fast time at the season opener at Talladega Short Track in January.
After finishing second in that race, Beard began to struggle, and couldn’t seem to find the handle on his race car. Before the Crossville race, Beard picked up the phone and called National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Ronnie Johnson for some advice about the Crossville track.
“Ronnie Johnson told me what ever I did set-up wise at Talladega in January, do it for Crossville,” Beard said. “Ronnie told me where to run the track, and how to pass here. We had to work hard tonight, but it worked.”
What came to be the winning pass came on a lap 33 restart, when Beard threw a slider on the second-place car of Pace. Beard dove to the bottom of the track in turn one, and then used his momentum to slide up in front of Pace for the second spot coming off the second turn.
Buckingham’s disqualification dimmed his championship hopes with three point races left in the 2006 season. Point leader David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN leapfrogged from fourth to second in the Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt after the post-race weigh in. Gentry now leads Buckingham, who ended up finishing 22nd, by 94 points.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA ended up third in the All South Racing Products Warrior, and closed to within 74 points of Buckingham in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings.
Todd Minner of Murfreesboro, TN started his Thick and Dry Waterproofing Rocket from the 22nd starting position, and finished fourth to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA took the fifth spot in the WMF Racing Products Mastersbilt, and Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA was sixth in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket. Rainey’s teammate Michael Keener of Douglasville, GA drove his Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket to his best finish of the season with a seventh-place effort.
Barrett Terry of Sevierville, TN finished eighth in the S&S Concrete Warrior, and Steven Ashby of Cunningham, TN was ninth in The Wheel Shop Stinger. Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA rounded out the top ten in the All South Racing Products GRT.
Rusty Hoge of Ooltewah, TN drove his H&H Powersports GRT to the win in the StormPay.com Lightning-Quick 6 Dash to earn the pole position for the main event. At the start of the race, Brad Hall of Knoxville, TN took the lead from the outside front row starting spot in the Arlington Auto Sales Rocket.
The start was negated when Matt Wilson of Shelbyville, TN spun the Switcher Mastersbilt in turn four, and the field lined up for a complete restart. After the second green flag, it was Hall taking the lead followed by Hoge, Pace, Buckingham, and Beard.
By lap six, the leaders began to encounter heavy traffic from the tail of the field, and trouble awaited them on lap seven in turn one. A lapped car slid up in front of Hall, who checked up, and was hit in the back by Hoge. The top three cars of Hall, Hoge, and Pace spun in turn one to bring out the caution flag.
Hoge was ticketed with the caution and had to go to the rear of the pack for the restart, while Hall lined back up on the point with Pace second, Buckingham third, and Beard in fourth. Maddox moved up to the fifth spot followed by Terry, Smith, Gentry, Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA in the Scotty’s Muffler Newman, and Rodney Hamby of Rockwood, TN.
On the restart, Jimmy Kay of Taylorsville, GA hit the front straightaway wall with the Icebowl 2007/NeSmith Chevrolet GRT. Although his race car was destroyed, Kay walked away uninjured.
On the next restart, Buckingham dove under Pace in turn one to battle for the second spot, and made the pass stick going into turn three. The next caution flag came out on lap 11 when Nipper stalled in turn three while running seventh. After the restart, Buckingham took a look inside Hall for the lead, but could make the pass.
Buckingham stayed right on Hall’s rear bumper as they once again approached lapped traffic on lap 18. On lap 20, Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN slid his Market Street Performance GRT into the side of Buckingham on the front straightaway. By the time Buckingham collected his race car, Hall had pulled away, and was working lapped traffic in turn two.
Hall was going around the outside of the lapped car of Joe Denby of Tullahoma, TN on lap 21 down the backstretch when Denby’s A+ Moving Mastersbilt got into the left side of Hall, putting the leader in the wall, and out of the race. Buckingham went from being behind to inheriting the lead for the restart.
Pace, Beard, Maddox, Gentry, Terry, Smith, Ashby, Hamby, and Rainey followed Buckingham down for the restart. The next two cautions were for the ninth-place running Hamby, who spun his PPM Racing Products PPM in turn four on lap 24, and in turn two on lap 33. By lap 30, Buckingham had stretched out to a full straightaway lead over Pace.
Beard got busy on the lap 33 restart, pulling off the slide job on Pace for the second spot, for what would prove to be the winning move. Maddox and Gentry also got around Pace on lap 34 to move up to third and fourth respectively.
Even though there was plenty of passing on the race track, the most important passes of the night took place at the scales after the checkered flag had fallen. In addition to the race win, and the fast time honors, Beard was also the Rookie of the Race.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 16 AT CROSSVILLE RACEWAY IN CROSSVILLE, TN ON 9/29/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 6 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 40 $2,500
2. 10 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 40 $1,250
3. 7 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 40 $850
4. 22 G1 Todd Minner Murfreesboro, TN 40 $800
5. 14 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 40 $650
6. 20 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 40 $550
7. 21 25 Michael Keener Douglasville, GA 40 $500
8. 8 12t Barrett Terry Sevierville, TN 40 $450
9. 18 16a Steven Ashby Cunningham, TN 40 $400
10. 19 12 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 39 $375
11. 17 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 39 $350
12. 9 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 32 $300
13. 13 11 Rodney Hamby Rockwood, TN 32 $280
14. 16 27 Joe Denby Tullahoma, TN 32 $260
15. 2 47 Brad Hall Knoxville, TN 20 $250
16. 12 84 Matt Wilson Shelbyville, TN 18 $240
17. 11 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 10 $220
18. 1 21 Rusty Hoge Ooltewah, TN 10 $500
19. 15 75 Carnell Parker III Clarksville, TN 6 $200
20. 23 27n Roy Newsome Shelbyville, TN 6 $200
21. 24 90 Jimmy Kay Taylorsville, GA 6 $200
22. 3 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN DQ – Too Light
23. 5 43 Tom Maddox Centre, AL DQ – Too Light
24. 4 31 Eddie Pace Clarksville, TN DQ – Too Light
ENTRIES: 24
FAST QUALIFIER: Beard, 13.295 Second, 90.259 Miles Per Hour
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH: Hoge
LEAD CHANGES: 2
LAP LEADERS: Hall, 1-20; Beard, 21-40
LAPS LED: Hall, 20; Beard, 20
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Minner (started 22nd and finished 4th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Beard
CAUTIONS: 11
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING-QUICK 6 DASH (6 Laps): 1. Hoge; 2. Hall; 3. Buckingham; 4. Pace; 5. Maddox; 6. Beard.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 9/29/06:
- David Gentry – 1480
- Shannon Buckingham – 1386
- Jeff Smith – 1312
- Jeff Fields – 1298
- Zach Nichols – 1184
- Frankie Beard (R) – 1168
- Matthew Turner – 1050
- Carnell Parker III – 940
- Ronnie Johnson – 886
- Jeff Purvis – 768
- Jordy Nipper – 686
- Michael Keener – 652
- Ryan Gifford – 640
- Michael Page (R) – 500
- Curtis Cline – 434
- Steven Ashby – 414
- Jimmy Kay - 384
- Terry Lumley – 382
- Denny Slayton – 378
- Mike Bechelli – 356
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate
