CLARKSVILLE, TN – The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will bring some tight competition to a pair of Alabama races this weekend when the series visits Penton Raceway in Penton, AL on Friday night, and Thunder Mountain Speedway in Fyffe, AL on Saturday night. The close racing will not only feature battles among drivers, but engine makes as well.
David Gentry Lewisburg, TN leads Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN by two points coming the into weekend. Gentry has been the man to beat in the last few StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series events, as out of his season win total of five victories, he has won four of the last five races this season, including the last three.
Behind the top two in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings are a plethora of drivers that will be looking to move up the list this weekend.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA is third in the points chase, followed closely by Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA, and Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA. This trio of drivers have posted StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series victories at Thunder Mountain Speedway. Nichols has three wins on the 4/10-mile high-banked clay oval.
Until recently, the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series competitors have all been running the GM Performance Crate Engines, built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications to the engines. But now, there is a new player in the Crate Late Model engine game.
The StormPay.com Dirt late Model Series has become the first Crate Late Model sanctioning body to introduce a Ford Crate Engine built by Bullet Performance Engines of Philadelphia, PA. The engine has been undergoing an extensive Research and Development program with Flat Rock, AL test driver Robert Gant over the past couple of weeks.
The results have been good, as Gant picked up the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series win last Saturday night at his home track, Thunder Mountain Speedway. Smith, Fields, and Nichols were also in competition that night at TMS, and looked at Gant’s tailpipe all evening. This performance has led many to ask the question, “Can Gant win with the Ford this weekend?”
The first outing for the Ford was at the StormPay.com DLMS National Touring event on August 5 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Gant qualified 17th among the 51 entrants, won his B-Main event, and finished 18th in the race, one lap down to the winner Gentry.
“The engine is good and fast, and you can really feel it pull,” Gant said. “The engine was better than the race car at Talladega Short Track because we missed the chassis set up, but it was right on at Thunder Mountain Speedway. I’m still learning the differences of driving styles coming from a Super Late Model to a Crate Late Model.”
Bullet Performance Engines personnel, led by Project Engineer Joe Giove, have been at the track and under the hood of Gant’s Ford Taurus massaging the power plant. They have been pleased with the new engine, and are planning even more R&D.
“We’re really excited about the R&D program, and we’re glad to see the Ford engine do well in such a short time with durability and trouble-free operation,” Bullet Performance Engines Sales Specialist Brad Mallen said. “We’re looking at making another version of the engine to increase the R&D effort in the coming weeks.”
Because Gant will be competing with an R&D effort, he will not be racing for StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National points, and will be a provisional entrant in each event this weekend.
Also expected this weekend are StormPay.com National Touring regulars Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA, who is the top Rookie of the Year candidate this season, Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN, Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA, Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN, and Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA.
There is also expected to be some tough competition this weekend from the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region competitors including Thunder Mountain Speedway regulars Samuel Brown, Kasey Hall, Jeremy Pruitt, and Chris Hill.
On both Friday night at Penton Raceway, and Saturday night at Thunder Mountain Speedway, the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will compete in Time Trials, the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash, B-Mains, and a 40-lap $2,500-to-win Feature Race.
New Green Valley Speedway in Glencoe, AL will present the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series on Saturday night at Thunder Mountain Speedway. WMF Racing Products in Boaz, AL will award a $500 prize to the Thunder Mountain Speedway fast qualifier.
The Best Western Hotel in Rainsville, AL will be the Official Host Hotel for the StormPay.com DLMS Thunder Mountain Speedway event, and will offer fans and competitors a special discount rate.
For more information on the Friday night program, call Penton Raceway at 334-864-0666, or visit the track web site at www.pentonraceways.com. For more information about the Saturday night program, call Thunder Mountain Speedway at 256-504-4388. For more information about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
David Gentry Lewisburg, TN leads Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN by two points coming the into weekend. Gentry has been the man to beat in the last few StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series events, as out of his season win total of five victories, he has won four of the last five races this season, including the last three.
Behind the top two in the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National point standings are a plethora of drivers that will be looking to move up the list this weekend.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA is third in the points chase, followed closely by Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA, and Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA. This trio of drivers have posted StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series victories at Thunder Mountain Speedway. Nichols has three wins on the 4/10-mile high-banked clay oval.
Until recently, the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series competitors have all been running the GM Performance Crate Engines, built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications to the engines. But now, there is a new player in the Crate Late Model engine game.
The StormPay.com Dirt late Model Series has become the first Crate Late Model sanctioning body to introduce a Ford Crate Engine built by Bullet Performance Engines of Philadelphia, PA. The engine has been undergoing an extensive Research and Development program with Flat Rock, AL test driver Robert Gant over the past couple of weeks.
The results have been good, as Gant picked up the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series win last Saturday night at his home track, Thunder Mountain Speedway. Smith, Fields, and Nichols were also in competition that night at TMS, and looked at Gant’s tailpipe all evening. This performance has led many to ask the question, “Can Gant win with the Ford this weekend?”
The first outing for the Ford was at the StormPay.com DLMS National Touring event on August 5 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Gant qualified 17th among the 51 entrants, won his B-Main event, and finished 18th in the race, one lap down to the winner Gentry.
“The engine is good and fast, and you can really feel it pull,” Gant said. “The engine was better than the race car at Talladega Short Track because we missed the chassis set up, but it was right on at Thunder Mountain Speedway. I’m still learning the differences of driving styles coming from a Super Late Model to a Crate Late Model.”
Bullet Performance Engines personnel, led by Project Engineer Joe Giove, have been at the track and under the hood of Gant’s Ford Taurus massaging the power plant. They have been pleased with the new engine, and are planning even more R&D.
“We’re really excited about the R&D program, and we’re glad to see the Ford engine do well in such a short time with durability and trouble-free operation,” Bullet Performance Engines Sales Specialist Brad Mallen said. “We’re looking at making another version of the engine to increase the R&D effort in the coming weeks.”
Because Gant will be competing with an R&D effort, he will not be racing for StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National points, and will be a provisional entrant in each event this weekend.
Also expected this weekend are StormPay.com National Touring regulars Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA, who is the top Rookie of the Year candidate this season, Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN, Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA, Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN, and Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA.
There is also expected to be some tough competition this weekend from the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region competitors including Thunder Mountain Speedway regulars Samuel Brown, Kasey Hall, Jeremy Pruitt, and Chris Hill.
On both Friday night at Penton Raceway, and Saturday night at Thunder Mountain Speedway, the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will compete in Time Trials, the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash, B-Mains, and a 40-lap $2,500-to-win Feature Race.
New Green Valley Speedway in Glencoe, AL will present the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series on Saturday night at Thunder Mountain Speedway. WMF Racing Products in Boaz, AL will award a $500 prize to the Thunder Mountain Speedway fast qualifier.
The Best Western Hotel in Rainsville, AL will be the Official Host Hotel for the StormPay.com DLMS Thunder Mountain Speedway event, and will offer fans and competitors a special discount rate.
For more information on the Friday night program, call Penton Raceway at 334-864-0666, or visit the track web site at www.pentonraceways.com. For more information about the Saturday night program, call Thunder Mountain Speedway at 256-504-4388. For more information about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
