Brindle Wins Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track

EASTABOGA, AL – Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA drove his Brindle Bros. Auto Parts GRT to victory in the 40-lap 2007 StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series season opener on Monday at the 16th Annual Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track.  After an exciting early race side-by-side battle with Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA , Brindle pulled away to take a five car-length win.

              “This is just unbelievable,” Brindle said as he leaped off the roof of his race car in victory lane.  “Everything went our way this weekend, and that was fun racing with Frank Ingram at the start of the race.  Traffic wasn’t that big of a problem because it seemed like the caution flag came out every time we got to the lapped cars. This is a big win for us.”                         

Brindle posted a clean sweep for the event, as he earned pole position for the race by being the fast qualifier among the 89 entrants.  Brindle turned the ¼-mile clay oval in 15.003 seconds during qualifications on Saturday.  Brindle and the rest of the competitors had to wait an extra day to race, as heavy rain washed out the event on Sunday, forcing postponement until Monday.           

John Ownby of Cleveland, TN finished second in the KZ Racing GRT, and third-place went to the defending StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN in the Dixon Plumbing Mastersbilt.  Gentry mounted a late-race challenge to Brindle for the win, but instead ended up losing the second spot to Ownby.                                                                             

                 Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA drove the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket to a fourth-place finish, and Ingram finished fifth in the Universal Concrete Rocket.  Ingram led two laps early in the race after qualifying second-quick and starting the race on the outside of the front row.

The second five saw drivers charge from deep in the starting field to record top ten finishes.  Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA started 22nd and finished sixth in the Scotty’s Muffler Walter Newman.  Logan Yates of Delta, AL was added to the field as a Promoter’s Provisional and started the race from the 25th spot.               

     Yates finished seventh in The Bargain Barn TSR to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.                                

Chris Tays of Corinth, MS finished eighth in the Bud Goley Trucking Rocket, and Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA took a provisional, started 23rd and finished ninth in the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt.  Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA also took a provisional, started 24th, and rounded out the top ten in the Turner Excavating Hicks.                          

When the green flag dropped to start the race, front row starters Brindle and Ingram never broke formation.  They raced side-by-side for the first five laps of the race with Ingram leading lap one, and Brindle leading lap two.  Ingram came back to lead lap three and Brindle took the point over for good on lap four.                                            

The only thing that got the top two cars single file was the first of six caution flags that came out on lap six when Don Jenkins of Kingston, GA stalled in turn two.  Brindle led Ingram, Gentry, Rainey, and Ownby down for the restart.                   

                Gentry got the inside line on Ingram when the field went back to green flag action, and another side-by-side battle ensued for the second spot.  Behind the leaders, drivers were on the move from deep in the field trying to get to the front.                                     

Patrick Duggan of Lenoir City, TN had moved from the 16th starting spot to sixth by the seventh lap.  One of the many stories of the weekend involved Duggan, who had no intentions of driving in the race when he arrived at the track earlier in the week.        

 Duggan ended up in the seat of the Hicks and Ingles Mechanical Contractors Warrior on Monday when the car’s primary driver Randy Weaver of Crossville, TN

could not return to the track after the rain delay because of job commitments.  Weaver had qualified the car third-quick on Saturday, and was scheduled to start the main event from the inside of row two.

Because of the driver change, the team had to give up the third starting spot, and Duggan had to race the car back in the field.  Duggan had to start the car at the tail of the sixth and final 12-lap qualifying race.  Duggan busted through the field in spectacular fashion to take the lead on the second lap.  He won the qualifier and put the car back in the show.

By the tenth lap of the main event, Duggan was battling for the sixth spot with Chad Wallace of LaGrange, GA in the Mason Racing GRT, and Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN in the S&S Millwright Barry Wright, who started 14th.  The trio made contact down the backstretch on lap 13, causing all three to hit the inside wall.  Duggan and Buckingham were done for the night.

On the restart, Brindle led Gentry down for the green flag, while Ingram, Rainey and Ownby battled for the third spot,  Jimmy Fetterman of Dallas, GA spun the Kenneth Burns Heating and Air Stinger coming off the fourth turn on lap 18 to bring out the third yellow flag,  Ownby got by Rainey for fourth on the restart, and was all over Ingram for the third spot.

Brindle began to pull away from Gentry, but he began to encounter lapped traffic on lap 25.  Brindle cut through the traffic, keeping lapped cars between himself and Gentry.  Gentry was able to close up on Brindle, thanks to a caution flag on lap 30 when Dee Hindman of Talladega, AL spun his Hindman Auto Busters Mastersbilt in turn two right in front of Ownby, who was running third.

Brindle was able to pull out to a five car-length lead over Gentry on the restart, but a caution flag slowed the field for a fifth time on lap 34 when Carlton Freeman of Eastaboga, AL spun the Stan Recycling GRT in turn two.

Gentry got a run on Brindle when the green flag came back out, and tried to work inside the leader.  Brindle shut the door in turn one, but Gentry, looking for his second straight Ice Bowl win, began groove hunting to make a bid for the lead.

Gentry, taking a gamble to go for the win, tried the outside groove in turn three, which opened the door for Ownby, who drove under Gentry coming off the second turn to take the second spot.

The final caution flag came out on lap 35 for debris.  With a new challenger behind him in Ownby, Brindle was up to the task on the restart, and held on to take the win, followed by Ownby, Gentry, Rainey, and Ingram.

 In preliminary action, Shane Tankersley of Morganton, GA won the first 12-lap Qualifying Race in the Davis Motorsports Rayburn, with Scottie Pritchett of Canton, GA winning the second Qualifying Race in the Fowler Plumbing Rayburn.  Adam Martin of Talladega, AL won the third Qualifying Race in the Martin Racing GRT.

 Buckingham won the fourth 12-lap Qualifying Race, with Jimmy Kay of Taylorsville, GA winning the fifth qualifier in the Ice Bowl 2007/NeSmith Chevrolet GRT, and Duggan winning the final qualifying race.

 The next event for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series will be on January 27 with a $2,500-to-win 40-lap main event as a part of the Winter Classic at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS

.  For more information about the StormPay.com DLMS visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.

 OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 1 AT TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK IN EASTABOGA, AL ON 1/8/07

:POS       STRT     CAR #    DRIVER             HOMETOWN                      LAPS     $ WON 

1.             1              38c         Chip Brindle                Chatsworth, GA 40           $3,000
2.             6              J0           John Ownby                  Cleveland, TN      40           $1,500 3.             3              56           David Gentry                        Lewisburg, TN       40        $1,350 4.             4              87           Derrick Rainey                   Powder Springs, GA  40        $1,100 5.             2              F9           Frank Ingram                      Woodstock , GA     40        $1,000 6.             22           1n           Jordy Nipper                        Gray, GA 40           $850
7.             25           5              Logan Yates                  Delta, AL 40           $850           
8.             9              8              Chris Tays                      Corinth, MS                40           $700 9.             23           16           Jeff Fields                             Aragon, GA            40           $650 10.          24           10           Matthew Turner                  Dawsonville, GA         40           $600 11.          8              41k         Steve Kirk                            Munford, AL            40          $550 12.          19           25           Michael Keener (R)            Douglasville, GA 40           $500
13.          18           19           Jimmy Fetterman                Dallas, GA             39           $450
14.          7              34           Wallace                       LaGrange, GA 39           $400        
15.          5              D7           Dee Hindman                      Talladega , AL 39           $350
16.          15           90           Jimmy Kay                            Taylorsville , GA      34           $300 17.          13           47           Adam Martin                        Talladega , AL 34           $280
18.          21           22           Carlton Freeman Eastaboga, AL                      33           $250 19.          20           17           Michael Page                       Douglasville, GA 17           $250
20.          17           15           Shane Hmiel                         Pleasant Hill, NC      17           $250
21.          14           44           Shannon Buckingham       Morristown, TN              12          $250
22.          16           116         Patrick Duggan                   Lenoir City, TN            12           $250
23.          12           23           Scottie Pritchett                  Canton, GA                  12           $250
24.          11           5d            Shane Tankersley               Morganton, GA        9              $250
25.          10           24           Don Jenkins                         Kingston, GA           5              $250

ENTRIES:  89
FAST QUALIFIER:  Brindle, 15.003 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Fields and Turner
PROMOTER’S PROVISIONAL:  Yates
LEAD CHANGES: 2
LAP LEADERS:  Ingram, 1; Brindle, 2; Ingram, 3; Brindle, 4-40
LAPS LED:  Brindle, 38; Ingram, 2
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER:  Yates (started 25th and finished 7th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Keener
CAUTIONS:  6
QUALIFYING RACE (Top 2 Finishers Transfer To Main Event):

1ST QUALIFYING RACE:  1. S. Tankersley; 2. Hmiel; 3. Cliff Brannon; 4. Chris Fennell; 5. Larry Harrod Jr.; 6. Jim Till (R); 7. Mark Page; 8. Jim Bob Davis; 9. Stacy Tyler.  DID NOT START:  Craig Giattina, Brandon Brown, Richard Yeomans, and Richard Guidry.

2ND QUALIFYING RACE:  1. Pritchett; 2. Fetterman; 3. Turner; 4. Fields; 5. Kenny Gaither; 6. Brandon Woods; 7. Terry Mosley (R); 8. Jimmy Elkins Jr.; 9. Nicholas Waugh; 10. Scott Cook.  DID NOT START:  Josh Huss, Aaron Smith, Kody Barber.

3RD QUALIFYING RACE:  1. Martin; 2. Keener (R); 3. Yates; 4. Buddy George; 5. Shannon Dodson; 6. Chase Washington; 7. Justin Owens.  DID NOT START:  Austin Dillon, Robert Stutts, Brad York, Rusty Hoge, Corey Roulette.

4TH QUALIFYING RACE:  1. Buckingham; 2. Michael Page; 3. Steven Ashby; 4. Jason McBride (R); 5. Evans; 6. Carnell Parker III; 7. Anthony Hill.  DID NOT START:  Chris Hoomes, Rodney Weeks, Keith Freeman, Josh Taylor, Mike McConnell, Darin Walker

5TH QUALIFYING RACE:  1. Kay; 2. C. Freeman; 3. Shane Riner; 4. Rod Carroll; 5. Kenny Tankersley; 6. Curtis Cline; 7. Landon Frith (R); 8. Corey Korreckt; 9. Tommy Turner.  DID NOT START:  Ty Lowe, Brandon Haley (R), Todd Minner, William Thomas.                

6TH QUALIFYING RACE:  1. Duggan; 2. Nipper; 3. Matt Wilson; 4. Bob Gibby; 5. Dustin Stewart.  DID NOT START:  Frankie Beard, Tim Staples, Josh Watson, Kevin Gill, Darryl Seals, Jim Madden, Corey Craft, Bobby Mayse.

R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate