Post by crusapr on Aug 6, 2006 5:00:06 GMT -5
EASTABOGA, AL – David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN continued his domination of the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series with his fifth win of the season on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track. Gentry led all 40 laps in the Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt and swept the event by also setting fast time, and winning the StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash.
Rather than celebrate his accomplishments for the evening, Gentry was in a somber mood, as he dedicated the win and gave his winner’s trophy to driver Jeff Purvis who was seriously injured in a highway accident earlier in the day enroute to Talladega Short Track.
“It was good to win the race, but my thoughts right now are with Jeff Purvis, his family and his crew,” Gentry said. “I want to dedicate this win to them.”
Purvis suffered two broken vertebra in his neck, two broken vertebra in his back, and fractured a leg when his racing rig blew a front tire on Southbound I-65 in Northern Alabama, crossed over the median and struck a vehicle in the Northbound lane. The rig over turned, and caught fire.
An unidentified crewmember also suffered a broken leg in the accident. Purvis’ wife Margo, his son Clay, and Crew Chief Matt Angel suffered cuts and bruises. The rig burned to the ground at the accident site, and everything was totally destroyed. According to witnesses at the scene of the accident, no one in the northbound car that was struck was injured.
Purvis was airlifted to a Birmingham, AL hospital where his injuries were diagnosed, and then he was airlifted later Saturday night to Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, TN where he could be under the care of his own doctor. Purvis was conscious, alert, talking, and moving his extremities before the flight to Nashville.
In addition to being his second straight StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series win, it was also the fourth win in the last five races for Gentry. The “Lewisburg Lightning Bolt” also took over the StormPay.com DLMS National Touring point lead from Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN by two points.
Buckingham was running fourth with three laps to go when his S&S Millwright Barry Wright blew a radiator hose, and he stalled in turn four. Buckingham finished 22nd, and the last three laps of competition were the first Buckingham has missed in 12 races. It was also the first race of the season that Buckingham has finished outside the top ten at the finish of a race.
Following Gentry under the checkered flag was Mike Head of Ellenwood, GA in the Bearden Oil Company Rayburn, and Logan Yates of Delta, AL finished third in the Yates Racing Mastersbilt. Jimmy Hudgins of Talladega, AL was fourth in the Hindman Auto Busters Mastersbilt, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA took the fifth spot in the Turner Excavating Hicks.
Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL finished sixth in the Peoples Racing Stinger, and Carlton Freeman of Eastaboga, AL was seventh in the Pate’s Paint and Body Shop GRT. John Pierce of Clanton, AL drove his MediComp Solutions Larry Shaw to an eighth-place finish, and ninth went to Lamar Haygood of Carrollton, GA in the Watson Trucking Rocket. Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL rounded out the top ten in the Millennium Heat and Air Mastersbilt.
Michael Page of Douglasville, GA finished 11th in the T&T Trucking Mastersbilt to earn the Rookie of the Race honors, and Stacy Holmes of Eastaboga, AL finished 14th in the Holmes Excavating Rocket after starting 25th to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Gentry took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Hudgins, Wilson, Buckingham, and Head. The first of three caution flags came out on lap four when Adam Martin of Talladega, AL spun in turn two. After the restart, Head got around Buckingham on lap five to take over the fourth spot.
Head continued his march to the front of the pack when he passed Wilson for third on lap seven, and Buckingham also got around Wilson to move back up to the fourth spot on lap 17. At the halfway point in the race, Gentry had pulled out to a half straightaway lead over Hudgins, and Yates moved up into the top five.
The second caution flag of the race came out on lap 24 when R.D. Smith of Pell City, AL in the R.D. Smith Enterprises TNT tangled with Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA in the Summerville Junk Yard Mastersbilt on the front straightaway. After the restart, Gentry had once again pulled out to a half-straightaway lead over Hudgins by lap 27.
Head got around Hudgins for the second spot on lap 37, and then got to restart on Gentry’s back bumper when the caution flag came out on lap 38 for Buckingham’s stalled car in turn four. When the field went green for the three-lap dash to the finish, Gentry pulled away from Head, and posted the win with a half straightaway advantage.
Gentry out-timed the 51-car field during time trials with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 14.720 seconds. The three 10-lap B-mains were won by Robert Gant of Flat Rock, AL in the Bullet Performance Engines Mastersbilt powered by a Ford engine, Josh Huss of Flomaton, AL in the Charco, Inc. TNT, and Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright.
The first driver in each B-Main that failed to transfer to the feature race picked up some extra cash courtesy of Hog Chain Racing of Jackson, MS. “The Mayor” Lacy Harralson awarded Ted Lackey of Mumford, AL, Lance Carroll of Bastrop, LA, and Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN each with $300.
The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will return to Alabama for its next two events at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL on August 18, and Thunder Mountain Speedway in Fyffe, AL on August 19.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 12 AT TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK IN EASTABOGA, AL ON 8/5/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 40 $2,700
2. 5 54 Mike Head Ellenwood, GA 40 $1,250
3. 8 5 Logan Yates Delta, AL 40 $850
4. 2 D7 Jimmy Hudgins Talladega, AL 40 $700
5. 7 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $650
6. 3 11 Jason Wilson Margaret, AL 40 $550
7. 9 22 Carlton Freeman Eastaboga, AL 40 $500
8. 6 88 John Pierce Clanton, AL 40 $450
9. 11 77 Lamar Haygood Carrollton, GA 40 $400
10. 13 07 Jimmy Elkins Jr. Talladega, AL 40 $375
11. 15 19 Michael Page (R) Douglasville, GA 40 $350
12. 14 T21 Ty Lowe Commerce, GA 40 $300
13. 12 47 Adam Martin Talladega, AL 39 $280
14. 25 M63 Stacy Holmes Eastaboga, AL 39 $360
15. 24 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 39 $250
16. 23 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 39 $240
17. 16 17e Larry Eldridge Columbus, GA 39 $220
18. 17 22 Robert Gant Flat Rock, AL 39 $200
19. 18 25 Josh Huss Flomaton, AL 38 $200
20. 22 66k Scott Knowles Lanett, AL 38 $200
21. 19 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 38 $200
22. 4 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 37 $200
23. 21 95 Kenny Gaither Mumford, AL 26 $200
24. 10 12 R.D. Smith Pell City, AL 25 $200
25. 20 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 25 $200
ENTRIES: 51
FAST TIME: Gentry, 14.720 Seconds
PROVISONALS: Holmes, J. Smith, and Fields
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Gentry, 1-40
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Holmes (Started 25th and finished 14th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Page
HOG CHAIN RACING JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Ted Lackey, Lance Carroll, and Ryan Gifford
CAUTIONS: 3
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6-LAP DASH: 1. Gentry; 2. Hudgins; 3. Wilson; 4. Buckingham; 5. Head; 6. Pierce.
B-MAINS (10 Laps – Top 2 Finishers Transfer To Feature Race):
1ST B-MAIN: 1. Gant; 2. Nichols; 3. Holmes; 4. Lackey; 5. Chuck Padgett; 6. Chris Hoomes; 7. Rusty Hoge; 8. Brentt Roberts; 9. Dan Allen; 10. Joe Denby; 11. Jason Markewitz; 12. Michael Keener DNS.
2ND B-MAIN: 1. Huss; 2. Gaither; 3. Carroll; 4. Larry Boutwell; 5. Jonathan Joiner; 6. Fields; 7. Chris Fennell; 8. Steve Kirk; 9. Brooks Strength; 10. Chuck Page; 11. Tracy Watson DNS; 12. Bobby Lowe DNS.
3RD B-MAIN: 1. Beard; 2. Knowles; 3. Gifford; 4. Carnell Parker III; 5. Karl Willard; 6. J. Smith; 7. Chris Turley (R); 8. Mark Page (R); 9. Dallas Cooper; 10. Lee Burdett DNS; 11. Josh Watson DNS.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 8/5/06:
1. David Gentry – 1090
2. Shannon Buckingham – 1088
3. Jeff Smith – 976
4. Jeff Fields – 942
5. Ronnie Johnson – 886
6. Zach Nichols – 844
7. Frankie Beard – 812
8. Carnell Parker III – 770
9. Jeff Purvis – 768
10. Matthew Turner – 748
11. Ryan Gifford – 478
12. Michael Page (R) – 424
13. Jordy Nipper – 412
14. Terry Lumley – 382
15. Denny Slayton – 378
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate
Rather than celebrate his accomplishments for the evening, Gentry was in a somber mood, as he dedicated the win and gave his winner’s trophy to driver Jeff Purvis who was seriously injured in a highway accident earlier in the day enroute to Talladega Short Track.
“It was good to win the race, but my thoughts right now are with Jeff Purvis, his family and his crew,” Gentry said. “I want to dedicate this win to them.”
Purvis suffered two broken vertebra in his neck, two broken vertebra in his back, and fractured a leg when his racing rig blew a front tire on Southbound I-65 in Northern Alabama, crossed over the median and struck a vehicle in the Northbound lane. The rig over turned, and caught fire.
An unidentified crewmember also suffered a broken leg in the accident. Purvis’ wife Margo, his son Clay, and Crew Chief Matt Angel suffered cuts and bruises. The rig burned to the ground at the accident site, and everything was totally destroyed. According to witnesses at the scene of the accident, no one in the northbound car that was struck was injured.
Purvis was airlifted to a Birmingham, AL hospital where his injuries were diagnosed, and then he was airlifted later Saturday night to Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, TN where he could be under the care of his own doctor. Purvis was conscious, alert, talking, and moving his extremities before the flight to Nashville.
In addition to being his second straight StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series win, it was also the fourth win in the last five races for Gentry. The “Lewisburg Lightning Bolt” also took over the StormPay.com DLMS National Touring point lead from Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN by two points.
Buckingham was running fourth with three laps to go when his S&S Millwright Barry Wright blew a radiator hose, and he stalled in turn four. Buckingham finished 22nd, and the last three laps of competition were the first Buckingham has missed in 12 races. It was also the first race of the season that Buckingham has finished outside the top ten at the finish of a race.
Following Gentry under the checkered flag was Mike Head of Ellenwood, GA in the Bearden Oil Company Rayburn, and Logan Yates of Delta, AL finished third in the Yates Racing Mastersbilt. Jimmy Hudgins of Talladega, AL was fourth in the Hindman Auto Busters Mastersbilt, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA took the fifth spot in the Turner Excavating Hicks.
Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL finished sixth in the Peoples Racing Stinger, and Carlton Freeman of Eastaboga, AL was seventh in the Pate’s Paint and Body Shop GRT. John Pierce of Clanton, AL drove his MediComp Solutions Larry Shaw to an eighth-place finish, and ninth went to Lamar Haygood of Carrollton, GA in the Watson Trucking Rocket. Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL rounded out the top ten in the Millennium Heat and Air Mastersbilt.
Michael Page of Douglasville, GA finished 11th in the T&T Trucking Mastersbilt to earn the Rookie of the Race honors, and Stacy Holmes of Eastaboga, AL finished 14th in the Holmes Excavating Rocket after starting 25th to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Gentry took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Hudgins, Wilson, Buckingham, and Head. The first of three caution flags came out on lap four when Adam Martin of Talladega, AL spun in turn two. After the restart, Head got around Buckingham on lap five to take over the fourth spot.
Head continued his march to the front of the pack when he passed Wilson for third on lap seven, and Buckingham also got around Wilson to move back up to the fourth spot on lap 17. At the halfway point in the race, Gentry had pulled out to a half straightaway lead over Hudgins, and Yates moved up into the top five.
The second caution flag of the race came out on lap 24 when R.D. Smith of Pell City, AL in the R.D. Smith Enterprises TNT tangled with Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA in the Summerville Junk Yard Mastersbilt on the front straightaway. After the restart, Gentry had once again pulled out to a half-straightaway lead over Hudgins by lap 27.
Head got around Hudgins for the second spot on lap 37, and then got to restart on Gentry’s back bumper when the caution flag came out on lap 38 for Buckingham’s stalled car in turn four. When the field went green for the three-lap dash to the finish, Gentry pulled away from Head, and posted the win with a half straightaway advantage.
Gentry out-timed the 51-car field during time trials with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 14.720 seconds. The three 10-lap B-mains were won by Robert Gant of Flat Rock, AL in the Bullet Performance Engines Mastersbilt powered by a Ford engine, Josh Huss of Flomaton, AL in the Charco, Inc. TNT, and Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright.
The first driver in each B-Main that failed to transfer to the feature race picked up some extra cash courtesy of Hog Chain Racing of Jackson, MS. “The Mayor” Lacy Harralson awarded Ted Lackey of Mumford, AL, Lance Carroll of Bastrop, LA, and Ryan Gifford of Winchester, TN each with $300.
The StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will return to Alabama for its next two events at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL on August 18, and Thunder Mountain Speedway in Fyffe, AL on August 19.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 12 AT TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK IN EASTABOGA, AL ON 8/5/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 40 $2,700
2. 5 54 Mike Head Ellenwood, GA 40 $1,250
3. 8 5 Logan Yates Delta, AL 40 $850
4. 2 D7 Jimmy Hudgins Talladega, AL 40 $700
5. 7 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $650
6. 3 11 Jason Wilson Margaret, AL 40 $550
7. 9 22 Carlton Freeman Eastaboga, AL 40 $500
8. 6 88 John Pierce Clanton, AL 40 $450
9. 11 77 Lamar Haygood Carrollton, GA 40 $400
10. 13 07 Jimmy Elkins Jr. Talladega, AL 40 $375
11. 15 19 Michael Page (R) Douglasville, GA 40 $350
12. 14 T21 Ty Lowe Commerce, GA 40 $300
13. 12 47 Adam Martin Talladega, AL 39 $280
14. 25 M63 Stacy Holmes Eastaboga, AL 39 $360
15. 24 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 39 $250
16. 23 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 39 $240
17. 16 17e Larry Eldridge Columbus, GA 39 $220
18. 17 22 Robert Gant Flat Rock, AL 39 $200
19. 18 25 Josh Huss Flomaton, AL 38 $200
20. 22 66k Scott Knowles Lanett, AL 38 $200
21. 19 21b Frankie Beard (R) Hartwell, GA 38 $200
22. 4 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 37 $200
23. 21 95 Kenny Gaither Mumford, AL 26 $200
24. 10 12 R.D. Smith Pell City, AL 25 $200
25. 20 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 25 $200
ENTRIES: 51
FAST TIME: Gentry, 14.720 Seconds
PROVISONALS: Holmes, J. Smith, and Fields
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Gentry, 1-40
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER: Holmes (Started 25th and finished 14th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Page
HOG CHAIN RACING JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Ted Lackey, Lance Carroll, and Ryan Gifford
CAUTIONS: 3
STORMPAY.COM LIGHTNING QUICK 6-LAP DASH: 1. Gentry; 2. Hudgins; 3. Wilson; 4. Buckingham; 5. Head; 6. Pierce.
B-MAINS (10 Laps – Top 2 Finishers Transfer To Feature Race):
1ST B-MAIN: 1. Gant; 2. Nichols; 3. Holmes; 4. Lackey; 5. Chuck Padgett; 6. Chris Hoomes; 7. Rusty Hoge; 8. Brentt Roberts; 9. Dan Allen; 10. Joe Denby; 11. Jason Markewitz; 12. Michael Keener DNS.
2ND B-MAIN: 1. Huss; 2. Gaither; 3. Carroll; 4. Larry Boutwell; 5. Jonathan Joiner; 6. Fields; 7. Chris Fennell; 8. Steve Kirk; 9. Brooks Strength; 10. Chuck Page; 11. Tracy Watson DNS; 12. Bobby Lowe DNS.
3RD B-MAIN: 1. Beard; 2. Knowles; 3. Gifford; 4. Carnell Parker III; 5. Karl Willard; 6. J. Smith; 7. Chris Turley (R); 8. Mark Page (R); 9. Dallas Cooper; 10. Lee Burdett DNS; 11. Josh Watson DNS.
STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 8/5/06:
1. David Gentry – 1090
2. Shannon Buckingham – 1088
3. Jeff Smith – 976
4. Jeff Fields – 942
5. Ronnie Johnson – 886
6. Zach Nichols – 844
7. Frankie Beard – 812
8. Carnell Parker III – 770
9. Jeff Purvis – 768
10. Matthew Turner – 748
11. Ryan Gifford – 478
12. Michael Page (R) – 424
13. Jordy Nipper – 412
14. Terry Lumley – 382
15. Denny Slayton – 378
R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate