CLARKSVILLE, TN – David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN drove a new Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt to victory on Tuesday night in the Freedom 75 for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series at Clarksville StormPay.com Speedway. Gentry had to roll out a new car for the race, after destroying his primary race car Sunday night at Thunderhill Raceway in Lawrenceburg, TN.
Gentry worked his way to the front from the sixth starting spot early in the race, and passed Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN for the lead on lap 19. Gentry was able to work his way through lapped traffic to keep Johnson behind him.
“The car we wrecked on Sunday night was a good car, but we rolled this out and put the same set up on it,” Gentry said. “This car is just as good as the other one, and I think we can win some more races with this one.”
Johnson had to settle for second in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior, and Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN had the hometown fans on their feet with a strong third-place run in the StormPay.com/NeSmith Chevrolet Warrior. Point leader Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN was fourth in the S&S Millwright Barry Wright.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA took the fifth spot in the Allsouth Racing Products Warrior. Johnson, Purvis, and Smith were denied a $2,500 bonus that would have been paid by AFCO Race Products if one of three drivers would have won.
Terry Lumley of Twin City, GA drove the Kar House Racing Radiators Mastersbilt to his third straight sixth-place finish, and Tony Albright of Clarksville, TN was seventh in the Albright Racing GRT.
Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA started 20th and finished eighth in the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award. Steven Ashby of Cunningham, TN was ninth in The Wheel Shop Stinger, and Don Young of Hopkinsville, KY rounded out the top ten in the Don Young Custom Hauling Rocket.
Johnson took the lead at the start of the race from his outside front row starting spot followed by polesitter Smith, Albright, Gentry, and Ashby. James Young of Richland, MS brought out the first of four caution flags by stalling in turn four on lap two. After the restart, Gentry continued his march to the front, getting by Albright for third on lap three.
On lap 16, Gentry got to the inside of Smith to take over the second spot. On lap 17, Gentry was able to catch Johnson heavy lapped traffic. On lap 19, Gentry was able to get to the inside and trap Johnson behind a lapped car to take the lead. By the time Johnson got back up to speed, Smith also got around him to move up to the second spot on lap 20.
Buckingham passed Albright for fourth on lap 22. At the 25 lap mark, it was Gentry leading Smith, Johnson, Buckingham, Albright, Ashby, Purvis, Young, Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA, and Lumley. Purvis passed Ashby on lap 35 for the sixth spot, and Johnson was able to pass Smith on lap 39 to reclaim the second spot.
Buckingham picked up the pace on lap 40 to pass Smith for the third spot, but most fans were watching Purvis, who passed both Smith and Buckingham to take over the third spot on lap 43.
The most serious incident occurred during a multi-car tangle down the front straightaway on lap 45 that brought out the red flag when Frankie Beard flipped his Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright. Beard, the leading Rookie of the Year candidate on the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour, was not injured.
When the field went back to green flag action, Buckingham passed Purvis to take over the third spot on lap 48. Nichols spun his B&B Specialized Hauling GRT in turn two to bring out the caution flag on lap 53. Nichols spun again on the restart, and had to call it a night.
Gentry led Johnson, Buckingham, Purvis, Smith, Albright, Ashby, Lumley, Don Young, and Danny Jolly of Christopher, IL in the Walters 24-Hour Towing Rayburn down for the restart. Purvis passed Buckingham for the third spot on lap 58, and Fields climbed into the tenth spot. The top four cars stayed in a tight formation around the track.
Gentry was able to put a couple of lapped cars between himself and Johnson, and started to pull away on lap 69. Once Johnson and Purvis cleared the lapped cars on lap 71, they were able to reel in the leader in the closing laps. Gentry was up to the challenge, taking a three car-length win over Johnson.
Johnson was busy trying to keep Purvis behind him on the last lap. As Johnson and Purvis came off the fourth turn for the checkered flag, Purvis dove to the inside of the track and Johnson tried to cover the same piece of real estate. The two National Dirt Hall of Fame drivers made contact, but kept them straight to the finish.
Buckingham was the Hog Chain Racing Fast Qualifier among the 34 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 13.278 seconds for an average speed of 67.781 miles per hour. The four 12-lap heat races were won by Albright, Johnson, Smith, and Ashby. Smith earned the pole position for the Freedom 75 by winning the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6-Lap Dash.
The two 15-lap B-Mains were won by Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN in the Jackie’s Fast Tax Service GRT, and John Tindal of Fancy Farm, KY in the Tri-State Industries Mastersbilt.
The next race for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be a two-day $5,000-to-win event at Pike County Speedway in McComb, MS on July 29-30. For more information about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 10 AT CLARKSVILLE STORMPAY.COM SPEEDWAY IN CLARKSVILLE, TN ON 7/4/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 6 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 75 $7,500
2. 2 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 75 $2,500
3. 7 15 Jeff Purvis Clarksville, TN 75 $1,750
4. 5 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 75 $2,000
5. 1 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 75 $1,450
6. 14 54 Terry Lumley Twin City, GA 75 $1,000
7. 4 1 Tony Albright Clarksville, TN 75 $850
8. 20 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 75 $850
9. 3 16a Steven Ashby Cunningham, TN 75 $700
10. 15 41 Don Young Hopkinsville, KY 75 $650
11. 11 U2 Danny Jolly Christopher, IL 74 $600
12. 16 16h Rick Hixson Soddy Daisy, TN 74 $550
13. 21 8 Eddie Pace Clarksville, TN 74 $500
14. 24 1t Don Everett Clarksville, TN 73 $450
15. 12 7x Gil Smith Nashville, TN 73 $400
16. 23 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 73 $380
17. 19 34 Matt Barrett (R) Knoxville, TN 72 $360
18. 22 97 Mike Bechelli Elizabethtown, IN 72 $340
19. 9 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 52 $320
20. 13 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 44 $300
21. 18 7 John Tindal Fancy Farm, KY 43 $300
22. 17 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 43 $300
23. 15 36 James Young Richland, MS 40 $300
24. 10 75 Carnell Parker III Clarksville, TN 0 $300
ENTRIES: 34
HOG CHAIN RACING FAST QUALIFIER: Buckingham, 13.278 Seconds, 67.781 MPH
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH WINNER: J. Smith
PROVISIONAL: Turner
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 1-18; Gentry, 19-75
LAPS LED: Gentry, 57; Johnson, 18
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Fields (started 20th and finished 8th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Barrett
CAUTIONS: 4 (1 Red Flag)
HEAT RACES – 12 LAPS (Top 4 Finishers Transfer To Feature Race):
1ST HEAT: 1. Albright; 2. Buckingham; 3. Nichols; 4. Beard (R); 5. Gifford; 6. Barrett (R); 7. Pace; 8. Everett; 9. Turner.
2ND HEAT: 1. Johnson; 2. Gentry; 3. Parker; 4. Lumley; 5. Fields; 6. Kasey Hall; 7. Jerry Trotter; 8. Brian Caudle; 9. Joe Denby.
3RD HEAT: 1. J. Smith; 2. Purvis; 3. Jolly; 4. J. Young; 5. Jason Davis; 6. Nick Lyons; 7. Shane Roberts; 8. Jeff Walston.
4TH HEAT: 1. Ashby; 2. D. Young; 3. G. Smith; 4. Hixson; 5. Tindal; 6. Bechelli; 7. Rylan Dagg; 8. Gary Sammons.
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6-LAP DASH: 1. J. Smith; 2. Johnson; 3. Ashby; 4. Albright.
1ST B-MAIN – 15 LAPS: 1. Gifford; 2. Barrett (R); 3. Pace; 4. Everett; 5. Lyons; 6. Walston; 7. Roberts; 8. Davis; 9. Turner.
2ND B-MAIN – 15 LAPS: 1. Tindal; 2. Fields; 3. Bechelli; 4. Caudle; 5. Hall; 6. Dagg; 7. Denby; 8. Sammons.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 7/4/06:
Gentry worked his way to the front from the sixth starting spot early in the race, and passed Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN for the lead on lap 19. Gentry was able to work his way through lapped traffic to keep Johnson behind him.
“The car we wrecked on Sunday night was a good car, but we rolled this out and put the same set up on it,” Gentry said. “This car is just as good as the other one, and I think we can win some more races with this one.”
Johnson had to settle for second in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior, and Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN had the hometown fans on their feet with a strong third-place run in the StormPay.com/NeSmith Chevrolet Warrior. Point leader Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN was fourth in the S&S Millwright Barry Wright.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA took the fifth spot in the Allsouth Racing Products Warrior. Johnson, Purvis, and Smith were denied a $2,500 bonus that would have been paid by AFCO Race Products if one of three drivers would have won.
Terry Lumley of Twin City, GA drove the Kar House Racing Radiators Mastersbilt to his third straight sixth-place finish, and Tony Albright of Clarksville, TN was seventh in the Albright Racing GRT.
Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA started 20th and finished eighth in the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award. Steven Ashby of Cunningham, TN was ninth in The Wheel Shop Stinger, and Don Young of Hopkinsville, KY rounded out the top ten in the Don Young Custom Hauling Rocket.
Johnson took the lead at the start of the race from his outside front row starting spot followed by polesitter Smith, Albright, Gentry, and Ashby. James Young of Richland, MS brought out the first of four caution flags by stalling in turn four on lap two. After the restart, Gentry continued his march to the front, getting by Albright for third on lap three.
On lap 16, Gentry got to the inside of Smith to take over the second spot. On lap 17, Gentry was able to catch Johnson heavy lapped traffic. On lap 19, Gentry was able to get to the inside and trap Johnson behind a lapped car to take the lead. By the time Johnson got back up to speed, Smith also got around him to move up to the second spot on lap 20.
Buckingham passed Albright for fourth on lap 22. At the 25 lap mark, it was Gentry leading Smith, Johnson, Buckingham, Albright, Ashby, Purvis, Young, Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA, and Lumley. Purvis passed Ashby on lap 35 for the sixth spot, and Johnson was able to pass Smith on lap 39 to reclaim the second spot.
Buckingham picked up the pace on lap 40 to pass Smith for the third spot, but most fans were watching Purvis, who passed both Smith and Buckingham to take over the third spot on lap 43.
The most serious incident occurred during a multi-car tangle down the front straightaway on lap 45 that brought out the red flag when Frankie Beard flipped his Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright. Beard, the leading Rookie of the Year candidate on the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour, was not injured.
When the field went back to green flag action, Buckingham passed Purvis to take over the third spot on lap 48. Nichols spun his B&B Specialized Hauling GRT in turn two to bring out the caution flag on lap 53. Nichols spun again on the restart, and had to call it a night.
Gentry led Johnson, Buckingham, Purvis, Smith, Albright, Ashby, Lumley, Don Young, and Danny Jolly of Christopher, IL in the Walters 24-Hour Towing Rayburn down for the restart. Purvis passed Buckingham for the third spot on lap 58, and Fields climbed into the tenth spot. The top four cars stayed in a tight formation around the track.
Gentry was able to put a couple of lapped cars between himself and Johnson, and started to pull away on lap 69. Once Johnson and Purvis cleared the lapped cars on lap 71, they were able to reel in the leader in the closing laps. Gentry was up to the challenge, taking a three car-length win over Johnson.
Johnson was busy trying to keep Purvis behind him on the last lap. As Johnson and Purvis came off the fourth turn for the checkered flag, Purvis dove to the inside of the track and Johnson tried to cover the same piece of real estate. The two National Dirt Hall of Fame drivers made contact, but kept them straight to the finish.
Buckingham was the Hog Chain Racing Fast Qualifier among the 34 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 13.278 seconds for an average speed of 67.781 miles per hour. The four 12-lap heat races were won by Albright, Johnson, Smith, and Ashby. Smith earned the pole position for the Freedom 75 by winning the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6-Lap Dash.
The two 15-lap B-Mains were won by Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN in the Jackie’s Fast Tax Service GRT, and John Tindal of Fancy Farm, KY in the Tri-State Industries Mastersbilt.
The next race for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be a two-day $5,000-to-win event at Pike County Speedway in McComb, MS on July 29-30. For more information about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 10 AT CLARKSVILLE STORMPAY.COM SPEEDWAY IN CLARKSVILLE, TN ON 7/4/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 6 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 75 $7,500
2. 2 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 75 $2,500
3. 7 15 Jeff Purvis Clarksville, TN 75 $1,750
4. 5 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 75 $2,000
5. 1 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 75 $1,450
6. 14 54 Terry Lumley Twin City, GA 75 $1,000
7. 4 1 Tony Albright Clarksville, TN 75 $850
8. 20 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 75 $850
9. 3 16a Steven Ashby Cunningham, TN 75 $700
10. 15 41 Don Young Hopkinsville, KY 75 $650
11. 11 U2 Danny Jolly Christopher, IL 74 $600
12. 16 16h Rick Hixson Soddy Daisy, TN 74 $550
13. 21 8 Eddie Pace Clarksville, TN 74 $500
14. 24 1t Don Everett Clarksville, TN 73 $450
15. 12 7x Gil Smith Nashville, TN 73 $400
16. 23 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 73 $380
17. 19 34 Matt Barrett (R) Knoxville, TN 72 $360
18. 22 97 Mike Bechelli Elizabethtown, IN 72 $340
19. 9 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 52 $320
20. 13 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 44 $300
21. 18 7 John Tindal Fancy Farm, KY 43 $300
22. 17 2 Ryan Gifford Winchester, TN 43 $300
23. 15 36 James Young Richland, MS 40 $300
24. 10 75 Carnell Parker III Clarksville, TN 0 $300
ENTRIES: 34
HOG CHAIN RACING FAST QUALIFIER: Buckingham, 13.278 Seconds, 67.781 MPH
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6 DASH WINNER: J. Smith
PROVISIONAL: Turner
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 1-18; Gentry, 19-75
LAPS LED: Gentry, 57; Johnson, 18
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Fields (started 20th and finished 8th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Barrett
CAUTIONS: 4 (1 Red Flag)
HEAT RACES – 12 LAPS (Top 4 Finishers Transfer To Feature Race):
1ST HEAT: 1. Albright; 2. Buckingham; 3. Nichols; 4. Beard (R); 5. Gifford; 6. Barrett (R); 7. Pace; 8. Everett; 9. Turner.
2ND HEAT: 1. Johnson; 2. Gentry; 3. Parker; 4. Lumley; 5. Fields; 6. Kasey Hall; 7. Jerry Trotter; 8. Brian Caudle; 9. Joe Denby.
3RD HEAT: 1. J. Smith; 2. Purvis; 3. Jolly; 4. J. Young; 5. Jason Davis; 6. Nick Lyons; 7. Shane Roberts; 8. Jeff Walston.
4TH HEAT: 1. Ashby; 2. D. Young; 3. G. Smith; 4. Hixson; 5. Tindal; 6. Bechelli; 7. Rylan Dagg; 8. Gary Sammons.
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6-LAP DASH: 1. J. Smith; 2. Johnson; 3. Ashby; 4. Albright.
1ST B-MAIN – 15 LAPS: 1. Gifford; 2. Barrett (R); 3. Pace; 4. Everett; 5. Lyons; 6. Walston; 7. Roberts; 8. Davis; 9. Turner.
2ND B-MAIN – 15 LAPS: 1. Tindal; 2. Fields; 3. Bechelli; 4. Caudle; 5. Hall; 6. Dagg; 7. Denby; 8. Sammons.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 7/4/06:
- Shannon Buckingham – 936
- David Gentry – 890
- Ronnie Johnson – 886
- Jeff Smith – 828
- Jeff Fields – 808
- Frankie Beard (R) – 752
- Zach Nichols – 722
- Jeff Purvis – 708
- Carnell Parker III – 664
- Matthew Turner – 584
- Jordy Nipper – 412
- Terry Lumley – 382
- Denny Slayton – 378
- Ryan Gifford – 376
- Mike Bechelli - 356
