BRUNSWICK, GA – Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC charged from the 10th starting spot to take the lead on lap 24 and win the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series 30-lap Feature Race Saturday night at Golden Isle Speedway driving the Swiftco Mastersbilt/604. Franklin waged an exciting duel for the lead with Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN.
Buckingham finished second in the S&S Millwright Barry Wright/604 after leading 11 laps of the race. Owen Osteen of Woodruff, SC took the third spot in the Dustin Osteen Mastersbilt/604, and John Pursley of Clover, SC finished fourth in the Pursley’s Grading Barry Wright/604. Jimmy Kay of Taylorsville, GA was fifth in the Ice Bowl 2007/NeSmith Chevrolet GRT/604.
Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN started 22nd and finished sixth to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award. The run by Johnson also gave him the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point lead by six points over Buckingham.
Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN was added to the field as the 25th starting Promoter’s Choice, and hustled the StormPay.com Rayburn/604 to a seventh-place finish. The defending StormPay.com Dirt Late model Series National Champion Denny Slayton of Rossville, GA was another busy driver after taking the 23rd Provisional starting spot and finishing eighth in the Pete Slayton Motorsports GRT/604.
Curtis Cline of Douglasville, GA took the ninth spot in the J.L. Brooks Construction Warrior/604, and Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA rounded out the top ten in the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt/604.
Polesitter and fast qualifier Michael Page of Douglasville, GA brought the field down for the start, but after three failed attempts due to spins, the cars were lined up single-file for the fourth try. Page led the early laps, while the point leader coming into the race, David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN had problems, and retired his Hawkins Equipment Mastersbilt/604 on the eighth lap.
By lap ten it was Page in the T&T Trucking Mastersbilt/604 leading Buckingham, Franklin, Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA, Pursley, Osteen, Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA, and Brad Comer of Gray, GA in the Central Carpet Outlaw/604.
Page slipped high in turn two on lap 13, enabling both Buckingham and Franklin to drive under the Rookie of the Year Candidate for the top two spots. Osteen passed Page for the third spot on a lap 16 restart, and Franklin began to put pressure in Buckingham for the lead, looking inside coming off the fourth turn for several laps.
Franklin was able to get underneath Buckingham on lap 24 to take the lead. Franklin tried to pull away, but a series of late race caution flags kept the field bunched up. During the last ten laps of the race, tire wear began to play a role in the race, as several top ten runners were forced to the pits with flat tires.
Page slowed on the track in turn two with a flat on lap 27 while running fourth, and Smith also pitted his Smith & Sons Trucking Warrior. Just as the field was about to see the white flag, Beard had a tire go away, and the flat took him out of the fourth spot, as the Rookie of the year point leader was looking for his third straight StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series top five finish.
Beard returned for the final two laps to finish 13th in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright/604, and was the Rookie of the Race. Franklin led Buckingham, Osteen, Pursley, Kay, Johnson, Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN, Slayton, Purvis, and Jack Daughtry of Greenville, AL down for the two lap dash to the finish.
Parker spun with a flat tire on the restart in turn two out of the seventh spot. After the next restart, Franklin was able to maintain his lead over Buckingham, while Purvis passed Slayton for the seventh spot. Cline and Fields got around Daughtry’s Oator Heavy Timber Rocket /604 for the ninth and tenth spots respectively.
During time trials, Page turned the fastest time of the 45-car field with a lap around the 5/8-mile clay oval in 19.556 seconds for an average speed of 115.054 miles per hour. Fields won the first 12-lap B-Main, and Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA drove the Scotty’s Muffler Newman/604 to the win in the second 12-lap B-Main.
The next road trip for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will take the GM Performance Crate Engine powered machines to East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL for three non-points races on February 12, 13, and 14.
Buckingham finished second in the S&S Millwright Barry Wright/604 after leading 11 laps of the race. Owen Osteen of Woodruff, SC took the third spot in the Dustin Osteen Mastersbilt/604, and John Pursley of Clover, SC finished fourth in the Pursley’s Grading Barry Wright/604. Jimmy Kay of Taylorsville, GA was fifth in the Ice Bowl 2007/NeSmith Chevrolet GRT/604.
Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN started 22nd and finished sixth to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award. The run by Johnson also gave him the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point lead by six points over Buckingham.
Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN was added to the field as the 25th starting Promoter’s Choice, and hustled the StormPay.com Rayburn/604 to a seventh-place finish. The defending StormPay.com Dirt Late model Series National Champion Denny Slayton of Rossville, GA was another busy driver after taking the 23rd Provisional starting spot and finishing eighth in the Pete Slayton Motorsports GRT/604.
Curtis Cline of Douglasville, GA took the ninth spot in the J.L. Brooks Construction Warrior/604, and Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA rounded out the top ten in the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt/604.
Polesitter and fast qualifier Michael Page of Douglasville, GA brought the field down for the start, but after three failed attempts due to spins, the cars were lined up single-file for the fourth try. Page led the early laps, while the point leader coming into the race, David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN had problems, and retired his Hawkins Equipment Mastersbilt/604 on the eighth lap.
By lap ten it was Page in the T&T Trucking Mastersbilt/604 leading Buckingham, Franklin, Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA, Pursley, Osteen, Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA, and Brad Comer of Gray, GA in the Central Carpet Outlaw/604.
Page slipped high in turn two on lap 13, enabling both Buckingham and Franklin to drive under the Rookie of the Year Candidate for the top two spots. Osteen passed Page for the third spot on a lap 16 restart, and Franklin began to put pressure in Buckingham for the lead, looking inside coming off the fourth turn for several laps.
Franklin was able to get underneath Buckingham on lap 24 to take the lead. Franklin tried to pull away, but a series of late race caution flags kept the field bunched up. During the last ten laps of the race, tire wear began to play a role in the race, as several top ten runners were forced to the pits with flat tires.
Page slowed on the track in turn two with a flat on lap 27 while running fourth, and Smith also pitted his Smith & Sons Trucking Warrior. Just as the field was about to see the white flag, Beard had a tire go away, and the flat took him out of the fourth spot, as the Rookie of the year point leader was looking for his third straight StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series top five finish.
Beard returned for the final two laps to finish 13th in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright/604, and was the Rookie of the Race. Franklin led Buckingham, Osteen, Pursley, Kay, Johnson, Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN, Slayton, Purvis, and Jack Daughtry of Greenville, AL down for the two lap dash to the finish.
Parker spun with a flat tire on the restart in turn two out of the seventh spot. After the next restart, Franklin was able to maintain his lead over Buckingham, while Purvis passed Slayton for the seventh spot. Cline and Fields got around Daughtry’s Oator Heavy Timber Rocket /604 for the ninth and tenth spots respectively.
During time trials, Page turned the fastest time of the 45-car field with a lap around the 5/8-mile clay oval in 19.556 seconds for an average speed of 115.054 miles per hour. Fields won the first 12-lap B-Main, and Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA drove the Scotty’s Muffler Newman/604 to the win in the second 12-lap B-Main.
The next road trip for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will take the GM Performance Crate Engine powered machines to East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL for three non-points races on February 12, 13, and 14.
