RAINEY TAKES FIRST STORMPAY.COM DLMS WIN OF THE SEASON AT PENTON  

               PENTON, AL – Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA grabbed the lead with five laps to go and drove the Dixon Hauling and Grading Warrior to his first StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series win of the season in the 40-lap main event on Friday night at Penton Raceway.  Rainey went to the outside to pass David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN coming off the fourth turn to post the victory.

                Gentry, the defending StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion held off a hard charging Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS to finish second after leading the first 35 laps of the race in the Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt.  Stokes finished third in the NeSmith Chevrolet Mastersbilt.

                A pair of local favorites, Dana Eiland of Salem, AL in the Andy’s Auto Parts GRT, and William Thomas of Phenix City, AL in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion finished fourth and fifth respectively.  StormPay.com DLMS National point leader Frank Ingram of Woodstock , GA was sixth in the Universal Concrete Rocket, and now holds a 34-point lead over Gentry.

                Jay Blair of Angie, LA finished seventh in the Parrish Disposal Mastersbilt, and Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL took the eighth spot in the McLeod Construction TNT.  Chris Tays of Corinth, MS was ninth in the Bud Coley Trucking Rocket, and Chad Wallace of LaGrange, GA rounded out the top ten in the Mason Racing GRT.

                Terrance Nowell of Phenix City , AL started 22^nd and finished 14^th in The Racing Zone GRT to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.  Jim Till of Greenville, AL finished 16^th in the Dafor Heavy Timber Fabricators Trak Star and was the Rookie of the Race.

                Rainey’s win completed a “clean sweep” of the event, as he was also the fast qualifier, turning the 3/8-mile clay oval in 14.450 seconds.  Heat race wins went to Stacey Roberts of Sylvester , GA in the Sunbelt Ford Rocket, Blair, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville , GA in the Turner Excavating Hicks.

               Gentry took the lead at the start of the race from his outside front row starting spot followed by Rainey, Eiland, Stokes, and Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA in the Old 29 Golf Carts Barry Wright.  The first of five caution flags came out on lap two for a multi-car tangle in turn two.  Everyone but Roberts was able to continue.

               When the field went back to green, Beard was able to get by Stokes for the fourth spot, but “Dr. Dirt” took the spot back on lap four.  Mike Parkerson spun the Outdoor Products Warrior coming off the fourth turn to fire up the caution bulb for the second time. 

Gentry led Rainey, Eiland, Stokes, and Beard down for the restart, but Beard spun coming off the fourth turn for the third caution flag of the race.  When the field went back to green, Gentry was able to open up a six car-length lead over Rainey, while Stokes began to pressure Eiland for the third spot.

Stokes passed Eiland in turn one on lap 15 to take over the third spot.  The caution came out once again for Parkerson, who spun in almost the same spot in turn four on lap 17.  On the restart, Thomas passed Ingram for the fifth spot.  What would be the final caution flag of the race came out on lap 21 when Robert Stutts of Murfreesboro , TN spun the Bob Parks Realty Rocket in turn four.

The second half of the race turned out to be caution-free, and Gentry led the field into lapped traffic with ten laps to go.  This enabled Rainey and Stokes to close in on the leader.  By lap 33, Rainey began to look to the inside of Gentry for the lead.  Even though Rainey could pull along side, Gentry was able to keep the door closed.

 
Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA in the #87 Dixon Hauling and Grading Warrior looks to the inside of race leader David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN in the #56 Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt during the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap main event on Friday night at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL.  Rainey would use an outside move on lap 36 to take the lead, and go on to his first series win of the season.  (Mike Blevins Photo)

On lap 35, Rainey went to the outside, and battled Gentry side-by-side for a full lap before getting a run coming off the fourth turn on lap 36 to take the lead.  Once Rainey got the lead, he began to pull away from Gentry, while Stokes moved up to challenge for the second spot.  Gentry was able to hold off Stokes for the runner-up spot in lapped traffic.

 The StormPay.com Dirt late Model Series National Tour now moves to East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City , AL on Saturday night for a 50-lap $3,000-to-win main event, the second half of the Alabama Doubleheader.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 13 AT PENTON RACEWAY IN PENTON , AL ON 7/20/07 :

POS       STRT     CAR #   DRIVER                             HOMETOWN                   LAPS     $ WON 

1.            1             87           Derrick Rainey                 Powder Springs, GA       40           $2,500
2.            2             56           David Gentry                    Lewisburg, TN                  40           $1,350
3.            5             1             Johnny Stokes                    Columbus, MS                  40           $850
4.            3             K9          Dana Eiland                       Salem , AL                           40           $700
5.            9             22           William Thomas                             Phenix City , AL                 40           $650
6.            6             F9          Frank Ingram                   Woodstock , GA                40           $550
7.            12           2x           Jay Blair                            Angie , LA                            40           $500
8.            8             58           Larry Boutwell                Baker, FL                          40           $450
9.            10           8             Chris Tays                         Corinth , MS                      40           $400
10.          15           34           Chad Wallace                    LaGrange , GA                   40           $375
11.          16           16           Jeff Fields                          Aragon, GA                       40           $350
12.          14           31           Anthony Meadows           Lanett, AL                          40           $300
13.          19           55           Parrish Duncan                Newnan, GA                      40           $280
14.          22           7             Terrance Nowell                             Phenix City , AL                 40           $360
15.          18           25           Josh Huss                           Flomaton, AL                    40           $250
16.          24           44t         Jim Till (R)                       Greenville , AL                  40           $240
17.          21           1n           Jordy Nipper                    Gray , GA                            40           $220
18.          7             44c         Curtis Cline                      Douglasville, GA             40           $200
19.          25           07           Jimmy Elkins Jr.             Talladega , AL                     40           $200
20.          20           302        Robert Stutts (R)             Murfreesboro , TN            39           $200
21.          23           38c         Chip Brindle (R)              Chatsworth , GA                               39           $200
22.          4             21b        Frankie Beard                  Hartwell, GA                    20           $200
23.          17           18           Mike Parkerson                              Columbus, GA                  17           $200
24.          13           10           Matthew Turner                              Dawsonville, GA                             9               $200
25.          11           B5          Stacey Roberts                  Sylvester, GA                    1             $200

ENTRIES:  41
FAST QUALIFIER:  Rainey, 14.450 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Brindle and Till
PROMOTER’S PROVISIONAL:  Elkins
LEAD CHANGES:  1
LAP LEADERS:  Gentry, 1-35; Rainey, 36-40
LAPS LED:  Gentry, 35; Rainey, 5
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER:  Nowell (started 22^nd and finished 14^th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Till
CAUTIONS:  5

QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):