FRANKLIN MAKES IT TWO-IN-ROW IN EAST BAY NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS ACTION

                TAMPA, FL – Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC drove the AES Racing Special to his second straight win on Saturday night in the 50-lap main event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Tour at East Bay Raceway Park.  After a race-long duel with Doug Watson of Plant City, FL, Franklin took the lead on lap 47 and then cruised to a 2.401 second victory.

Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC celebrates his second straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL on Saturday night in front of his AES Racing Special.  (East Bay Raceway Park Photo)

                The 36^th Annual Winternationals was a good one for Franklin, as he finished second on Thursday night and followed that up with wins on Friday and Saturday night.  Franklin leads the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings with 296 points and holds a 24-point advantage over Jack Nosbisch Jr. of Riverview, FL.

                “I kept working the inside on Watson and he finally made a bobble in turn two where we got by him at the end of the race,” Franklin said.  “I’ve got to thank Steve Cooke and the AES Racing Team for letting drive this car here.  It was a great race car all week.”

                Watson held off a late-race charge from Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV to finish second in the Brandon Auto Services Rocket.  Horton overcame fuel problems early in the night to take the third spot in the Mainland Transport Warrior.  Horton won the first 15-lap B-Main race, started 16^th in the main event and earned the Hedman Husler of the Race Award.

                Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA was fourth in the Hedman Husler Special and William Thomas of Phenix City, AL finished fifth in the Harrod Logging Special.  Dave Schmauss of Dover, FL drove the Cardinal Paint and Body Warrior to a sixth-place finish and Mark Tice of Avon, MS was seventh in the Precision Marine Trak-Star.

                Walker Arthur of Forest, VA finished eighth in the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Rocket and Nosbisch took the ninth spot in the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Rocket.  Phillip Cobb of Apollo Beach, FL rounded out the top ten in the Mathis Farms Special and was the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race.

                The four 12-lap heat races were won by Franklin, Watson, Austin Hubbard of Sanford, DE in the AES Racing Special and Steve Cooke of Mt. Airy, NC in the AES Racing Special.  The 15-lap B-Main races were won by Horton and Nosbisch.  Franklin made it a clean sweep of the program by setting fast time honors among the 45 entrants with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 15.708 seconds.

                Franklin took the lead at the start of the race when Watson jumped the cushion in turn two.  That enabled Hubbard to move up to second, but when the field got to turn four, several cars got tangled up midway in the pack, and Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC flipped the CANCO Rocket and collect several other cars to bring out the red flag.

                Cantrell was uninjured, but his race car was done for the evening.  His misfortune earned Cantrell the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.  The field lined back up for a complete restart, and Watson took the lead followed by Franklin, Hubbard, Cooke, and Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL in the Mathis Farms Special.

                Horton was working through the field, and charged from 16^th to tenth by lap four.  Lap seven saw Franklin looking inside to challenge Watson for the lead.  Dixon and Turner got by Cooke on lap nine to take over the fourth and fifth spots respectively. 

The second of seven caution flags came out on lap ten when Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS spun the Billy Riels Racing Trak-Star.  Watson led the doubled-up field down for the restart followed by Franklin, Hubbard, Dixon, Turner, Cooke, Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL in the Edge’s Gas Company Special, Tice, Horton and Thomas.

Dixon spun on the restart in turn two and collected ten other cars for the third caution flag.   After the restart, Hubbard spun out of the third spot with a spin in turn two on lap 11 for the fourth caution flag.  Watson led for the restart with Franklin, Turner, Cooke, Edge, Tice, Horton, Thomas, Arthur and Blount doubled up behind him.

Horton passed Tice for the sixth spot on the restart, and Schmauss moved into the top ten on lap 12.  Horton closed in on Edge to battle for the fifth spot on lap 18, while up front, Franklin worked to the inside of Watson to challenge for the lead.  For the next five laps, Watson and Franklin raced side-by-side for the lead while Edge and Horton raced side-by-side for fifth.

Lap 23 saw Horton made the pass on Edge for the fifth spot.  Up front, Watson and Franklin continued their battle for the lead as they approached lapped traffic at the halfway point in the race.  Edge slammed the backstretch wall on lap 27 to light up the caution bulb for the fifth time.  The 2011 VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year was uninjured, but his car was done for the night.

After the field went back to green flag racing, Franklin again camped out on the inside of Watson.  Franklin could gain on Watson entering the corners, but Watson was faster getting off the turns to keep the lead.  Thomas passed Tice for the sixth spot on lap 28.

Franklin got a good run on Watson in turn one on lap 36, and stayed alongside the leader down the backstretch.  Watson used the “sweet spot” he found on the high side of turn four to keep Franklin behind him.  The race was slowed by the sixth caution flag on lap 38 when Blount spun in turn two.

Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN stalled in turn four on lap 41 with an overheating problem for the seventh caution flag.  Watson lined up for the single-file restart followed by Franklin, Horton, Turner, Thomas, Cooke, Tice, Schmauss, Arthur and Nosbisch.

Franklin put the inside pressure on Watson for the next five laps, as the lead pair raced side-by-side.  Watson slipped slightly on the high side of turn two on lap 47, which opened the door for Franklin, who made the best of his opportunity to take the lead going down the backstretch.  Once he cleared Watson, Franklin opened up a 2.401 second lead at the checkered flag.


Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC works his #27c AES Racing Special underneath Doug Watson of Plant City, FL in the #07 Brandon Auto Services Rocket in turn two on lap 47 to take the lead in the 50-lap NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Tour main event on Saturday night at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL.  Franklin went on to take the $3,000 win.  (East Bay Raceway Park Photo)

The next event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be on April 6-7 with a $5,000-to-win two-day show at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS highlighted with a 75-lap main event.

For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at NeSmith Racing.  Becoming a fan of the NeSmith Racing Facebook page will make you eligible for special prizes that will be given away each month.  You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 3 AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 2/4/12:

POS        STRT     CAR #    DRIVER                               HOMETOWN                     LAPS     $ WON 
1.             1              27c         Dennis Franklin                  Gaffney, SC                         50           $3,000
2.             2              07           Doug Watson                       Plant City, FL                     50           $1,250
3.             16           11           Doug Horton                       Bruceton Mills, WV           50           $950
4.             6              10           Matthew Turner                 Dawsonville, GA                 50           $700
5.             9              22           William Thomas                 Phenix City, AL                  50           $650
6.             18           105         Dave Schmauss                   Dover, FL                             50           $550
7.             12           24           Mark Tice                            Avon, MS                              50           $500
8.             15           87           Walker Arthur                    Forest, VA                            50           $450
9.             17           01           Jack Nosbisch Jr.               Riverview, FL                     50           $400
10.          19           32           Phillip Cobb (R)                  Apollo Beach, FL               50           $375
11.          24           41           Travis Varnadore              Dover, FL                             50           $350
12.          8              121         Michael Blount                   Sumrall, MS                        50           $300
13.          4              17c         Steve Cooke                         Mt. Airy, NC                        49           $280
14.          22           56           David Earl Gentry             Murfreesboro, TN             40           $260
15.          14           2*           Shane Hitt                            Buckhannon, WV               39           $250
16.          3              37c         Austin Hubbard                  Sanford, DE                         37           $240
17.          20           99w        Shan Smith                           Dade City, FL                      26           $220
18.          7              18           Chase Edge                          Lafayette, AL                      26           $200
19.          5              95           Devin Dixon                         Apollo Beach, FL               9              $200
20.          21           17x         Anthony White                    Clinton, TN                          9              $200
21.          23           47           Shannon Lee                        Lumberton, MS                  8              $200
22.          25           95jr        Maverick Varnadore        Dover, FL                             7              $200
23.          10           114         Chris Cantrell                     Chester, SC                          0              $200
24.          11           51           Mack McCarter                  Sevierville, TN                    0              $200
25.          13           T1           Todd Morrow                     East Ridge, TN                    0              $200

ENTRIES:  45
FAST QUALIFIER:  Franklin, 15.708 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Gentry and Lee
LEAD CHANGES:  1
LAP LEADERS:  Watson, 1-46; Franklin, 47-50
LAPS LED:  Watson, 46; Franklin, 4
VP RACING FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Cobb
HEDMAN HUSLER OF THE RACE:  Horton (started 16^th and finished 3^rd)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD:  Cantrell
INTEGRA RACING SHOCKS JUST MISSED IT AWARD:  Kyle Weatherman
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Thomas
KRC 6^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Schmauss
QA1 RACE PRODUCTS 7^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Tice
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Arthur
MODERN IMAGES 9^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Nosbisch
KRC 10^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Cobb
MIKE’S CUSTOM TANKS 11^TH-PLACE AWARD:  T. Varnadore
SHORTY’S SHOCK SERVICE 12^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Blount
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 13^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Cooke
J.T. KERR RACING EQUIPMENT 14^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Gentry
KINSER AIR FILTERS 15^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Hitt
CAUTIONS:  7
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  2.401 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  51 Minutes and 48.948 Seconds

GROUP QUALIFYING:

HEAT RACES (12 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):

                1^ST HEAT:  1. Franklin; 2. Dixon; 3. Thomas; 4. M. Varnadore; 5. Schmauss; 6. Lawson; 7. Gentry; 8. Cooper; 9. Reed; 10. Harrod; 11. Miller; 12. Musselman.

                2^ND HEAT:  1. Watson; 2. Turner; 3. Cantrell (R); 4. Morrow; 5. Smith; 6. Horton; 7. Weatherman; 8. Stevenson; 9. P. McCarter (R); 10. Polasini (R); 11. Summers (R).

                3^RD HEAT:  1. Hubbard; 2. Edge; 3. M. McCarter; 4. Hitt; 5. Stokes; 6. Nosbisch; 7. Cobb (R); 8. White; 9. Teague (R); 10. Wilson; 11. Phillips.

                4^TH HEAT:  1. Cooke; 2. Blount; 3. Tice; 4. Arthur; 5. Lee; 6. Robertson; 7. T. Varnadore; 8. Allison; 9. Minga; 10. Kierre (R); 11. Mathis.

B-MAINS (15 Laps – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):

                1^ST B-MAIN:  1. Horton; 2. Schmauss; 3. Smith; 4. Weatherman; 5. Cooper; 6. Reed; 7. Harrod; 8. Miller; 9. Stevenson; 10. Lawson; 11. Gentry; 12. P. McCarter (R) DNS; 13. Polasini (R) DNS; 14. Summers (R) DNS; 15. Musselman DNS.

                2^ND B-MAIN:  1. Nosbisch; 2. Cobb (R); 3. White; 4. Robertson; 5. Lee; 6. T. Varnadore; 7. Wilson; 8. Mathis; 9. Minga; 10. Stokes; 11. Allison; 12. Phillips; 13. Teague (R) DNS; 14. Kierre (R) DNS.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 2/4/12:

1. 27c Dennis Franklin – 296
2. 01 Jack Nosbisch Jr. – 272
3. 10 Matthew Turner – 262
4. 37c Austin Hubbard – 256
5. 11 Doug Horton – 252
6. 56 David Earl Gentry – 248
7. 07 Doug Watson – 242
8. 32 Phillip Cobb (R) – 234
9. 24 Mark Tice – 226
10. 114 Chris Cantrell (R) – 216
11. 22 William Thomas – 210
12. 1 Johnny Stokes – 206
12. 18 Chase Edge – 206
14. 47 Shannon Lee – 204
14. 95 Devin Dixon – 204
14. 105 Dave Schmauss – 204
17. 14 Maverick Varnadore – 194
18. 2* Shane Hitt – 190
19. 87 Walker Arthur – 178
20. 17x Anthony White - 172

R – Denotes VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidate

NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is the nation’s number one GM Powertrain Dealer four years running, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast.  Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  VP Racing Fuel is the Official Racing Fuel of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  Hedman Hedders is the Official Hedder of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and the Hedman Husler Award sponsor.  RockAuto.com is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for 2012 are Dominator Race Products, Race Car Engineering, KRC , QA 1 Precision Products, Modern Images, Mike Custom Tanks, Shorty’s Shock Service, Schoenfeld Headers, Integra Racing Shocks, J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment, Kinser Air Filters, Trak-Star Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, TNT Race Cars, and Stinger Race Cars.