CLARKSVILLE, TN – David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN is riding a wave of momentum into this Saturday night’s StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series event at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. The “Lewisburg Lightning Bolt” has won three of the last four StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series races.
The Talladega Short Track event will be the 12th Round of the 2006 StormPay.com DLMS season, and will by highlighted by a 40-lap main event paying $2,500-to-win. It will also be the second visit to TST for the series.
The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series opened the season at TST on January 8 during the Icebowl, and Gentry posted the win. Gentry went through a string of several second place finishes in the next seven races before winning again on July 1 at his home track, Duck River Speedway in Wheel, TN.
The first nine races of the 2006 season saw Gentry drive a black #1 Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt. The night after the Duck River win, Gentry was racing at Thunderhill Raceway in Lawrenceburg, TN, and sailed of the first turn banking during the 50-lap StormPay.com DLMS main event.
The crash destroyed the car, and forced Gentry to roll out his blue #56 backup car for the StormPay.com DLMS event the next two nights at Clarksville StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, TN. Gentry took the lead on lap 19 of the 75-lap event, and never looked back to take his third win of the season.
Since then, the blue #56 Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt has never been passed during a lap of competition.
Gentry is fresh off a dominating performance in the StormPay.com DLMS event on July 29-30 at Pike County Speedway in McComb, MS, where he posted a “clean sweep” at the two-day event. On Saturday night, Gentry posted fast time, won his heat race wire-to-wire, and was never challenged in the six-lap dash to earn the pole position.
Before the main event had ever been run at Pike County Speedway, Gentry had already pocketed $1,300 in contingency money. When he took the green flag for the Sunday night 60-lap feature race, Gentry dominated to lead every lap.
To make things even more impressive, Gentry hit an implement tire that marked the inside of the track that knocked the front end of the race car out of alignment. Gentry just adjusted the brake bias, and his entry into the corners to compensate for it. It seemed to make the race even faster.
Gentry is second in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour point standings, and has moved to within 40 points of point leader Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN. While Gentry has been on a roll, Buckingham has a streak of his own that has played an important part of his being at the top the heap.
Buckingham has three wins in the first 11 StormPay.com DLMS races this season, but he is the only driver in the series that has accomplished two impressive feats. The series has run 560 laps in main event competition this season, and Buckingham is the only driver that has completed every one of them. Buckingham is also the only driver to finish in the top ten in every race this season.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA has climbed to the third spot in the StormPay.com DLMS National points chase with steady performances, and he is still looking for his first win of the season. National Dirt Late Hall of Fame inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN missed the Pike County Speedway race, and has dropped to fourth in the standings.
Johnson has three wins this season, and “The Chattanooga Flash” will be coming into TST this Saturday night looking to get back into the championship fight. Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA is fifth in points, followed by Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA in the sixth spot.
Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN, another National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame inductee, and former NASCAR star, has climbed up to the seventh spot in the StormPay.com DLMS National points. Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA is eighth, and the top Rookie of the Year candidate, in the points. Beard was the fast qualifier at the January TST StormPay.com DLMS race.
Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA round out the top ten in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Touring point standings. “The Ryno,” 17-year-old Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN continues to show improvement, and has climbed to the 11th spot in the points.
The regulars on the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will face some tough competition from the weekly drivers at Talladega Short Track this Saturday night. The top six drivers in the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region race at Talladega Short Track every Saturday night.
Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL leads the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region followed by Carlton Freeman of Eastaboga, AL, John Pierce of Clanton, AL, Logan Yates of Delta, AL, Jimmy Elkins of Talladega, AL, and Adam Martin of Talladega, AL.
The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will also be making a first this Saturday night at Talladega Short Track when they will introduce a sealed Ford crate engine into competition. The StormPay.com DLMS is the first Crate Late Model series in the country to bring Ford into the fold.
Robert Gant of Flat Rock, AL will be the test driver for the Ford R&D effort. He will not race for points, and will start in the 25th provisional starting spot for Saturday night’s race. StormPay.com DLMS officials and the builder of the Ford engine, Bullet Performance Engines of Philadelphia, PA, are hopeful that the engine will be available to competitors on September 1.
The StormPay.com DLMS will compete in time trials, B-main races, and the 40-lap $2,500-to-win main event. The top 16 qualifiers will be locked into the main event, while the qualifiers 17th on back will try to transfer to the main event through the B-main races.
On Saturday night, the pit gate opens at 5 p.m. with the drivers meeting scheduled for 6:15 p.m., with hot laps to follow.
Talladega Short Track is located on Speedway Blvd., just across from the Talladega Super Speedway. For more information call 256-831-1413, or visit the track web site at www.talladegashorttrack.com. For more information about the StormPay.com DLMS visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
The Talladega Short Track event will be the 12th Round of the 2006 StormPay.com DLMS season, and will by highlighted by a 40-lap main event paying $2,500-to-win. It will also be the second visit to TST for the series.
The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series opened the season at TST on January 8 during the Icebowl, and Gentry posted the win. Gentry went through a string of several second place finishes in the next seven races before winning again on July 1 at his home track, Duck River Speedway in Wheel, TN.
The first nine races of the 2006 season saw Gentry drive a black #1 Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt. The night after the Duck River win, Gentry was racing at Thunderhill Raceway in Lawrenceburg, TN, and sailed of the first turn banking during the 50-lap StormPay.com DLMS main event.
The crash destroyed the car, and forced Gentry to roll out his blue #56 backup car for the StormPay.com DLMS event the next two nights at Clarksville StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, TN. Gentry took the lead on lap 19 of the 75-lap event, and never looked back to take his third win of the season.
Since then, the blue #56 Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt has never been passed during a lap of competition.
Gentry is fresh off a dominating performance in the StormPay.com DLMS event on July 29-30 at Pike County Speedway in McComb, MS, where he posted a “clean sweep” at the two-day event. On Saturday night, Gentry posted fast time, won his heat race wire-to-wire, and was never challenged in the six-lap dash to earn the pole position.
Before the main event had ever been run at Pike County Speedway, Gentry had already pocketed $1,300 in contingency money. When he took the green flag for the Sunday night 60-lap feature race, Gentry dominated to lead every lap.
To make things even more impressive, Gentry hit an implement tire that marked the inside of the track that knocked the front end of the race car out of alignment. Gentry just adjusted the brake bias, and his entry into the corners to compensate for it. It seemed to make the race even faster.
Gentry is second in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour point standings, and has moved to within 40 points of point leader Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN. While Gentry has been on a roll, Buckingham has a streak of his own that has played an important part of his being at the top the heap.
Buckingham has three wins in the first 11 StormPay.com DLMS races this season, but he is the only driver in the series that has accomplished two impressive feats. The series has run 560 laps in main event competition this season, and Buckingham is the only driver that has completed every one of them. Buckingham is also the only driver to finish in the top ten in every race this season.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA has climbed to the third spot in the StormPay.com DLMS National points chase with steady performances, and he is still looking for his first win of the season. National Dirt Late Hall of Fame inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN missed the Pike County Speedway race, and has dropped to fourth in the standings.
Johnson has three wins this season, and “The Chattanooga Flash” will be coming into TST this Saturday night looking to get back into the championship fight. Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA is fifth in points, followed by Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA in the sixth spot.
Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN, another National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame inductee, and former NASCAR star, has climbed up to the seventh spot in the StormPay.com DLMS National points. Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA is eighth, and the top Rookie of the Year candidate, in the points. Beard was the fast qualifier at the January TST StormPay.com DLMS race.
Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA round out the top ten in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Touring point standings. “The Ryno,” 17-year-old Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN continues to show improvement, and has climbed to the 11th spot in the points.
The regulars on the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will face some tough competition from the weekly drivers at Talladega Short Track this Saturday night. The top six drivers in the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region race at Talladega Short Track every Saturday night.
Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL leads the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region followed by Carlton Freeman of Eastaboga, AL, John Pierce of Clanton, AL, Logan Yates of Delta, AL, Jimmy Elkins of Talladega, AL, and Adam Martin of Talladega, AL.
The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will also be making a first this Saturday night at Talladega Short Track when they will introduce a sealed Ford crate engine into competition. The StormPay.com DLMS is the first Crate Late Model series in the country to bring Ford into the fold.
Robert Gant of Flat Rock, AL will be the test driver for the Ford R&D effort. He will not race for points, and will start in the 25th provisional starting spot for Saturday night’s race. StormPay.com DLMS officials and the builder of the Ford engine, Bullet Performance Engines of Philadelphia, PA, are hopeful that the engine will be available to competitors on September 1.
The StormPay.com DLMS will compete in time trials, B-main races, and the 40-lap $2,500-to-win main event. The top 16 qualifiers will be locked into the main event, while the qualifiers 17th on back will try to transfer to the main event through the B-main races.
On Saturday night, the pit gate opens at 5 p.m. with the drivers meeting scheduled for 6:15 p.m., with hot laps to follow.
Talladega Short Track is located on Speedway Blvd., just across from the Talladega Super Speedway. For more information call 256-831-1413, or visit the track web site at www.talladegashorttrack.com. For more information about the StormPay.com DLMS visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
