O’Connor earns pole for NeSmith Cheverolet DLMS Flomaton, AL race

FLOMATON, AL – Chris O’Connor of Cantonment, FL earned the pole position for the 75-lap $5,000-to-win main event at Flomaton Speedway for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour. O’Connor drove the Coggin Land Service Warrior to victory in the first 12-lap heat race on Friday night to earn the pole for Saturday night’s big show.

Rusty Ellis of Brewton, AL won the second 12-lap heat race in the L&W Insulation Trak-Star to take the outside front row starting spot for the main event. Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA will start the main event from the inside of the second row after winning the third 12-lap heat race in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.

Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA won the fourth 12-lap heat race in the Barto Enterprises Warrior on Friday night, and will start the Saturday night main event from the outside of the second row.

The four 12-lap heat races on Friday night transferred the top four finishers in each heat race to the 75-lap $5,000-to-win main event on Saturday night.

Following O’Connor in heat one were Shep Lucas of McKenzie, AL in the Signature Construction Trak-Star, Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL in the All-Star Graphics GRT, and Stephen Brantley of Monroeville, AL in the Airport Sports Center Mastersbilt. They will start fifth, ninth, and 13th respectively in the main event.

Lucas was the fast qualifier among the 35 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile dirt oval in 12.548 seconds.

Trailing Ellis in the second heat to earn the sixth, tenth, and 14th main event starting spots respectively were Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Turner Excavating DWB, Jim Till of Greenville, AL in the Dafor Heavy Timber Fabricators Trak-Star, and Bo Odom of Flomaton, AL in the Bill Patterson Construction Trick.

Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL was second in the third heat to earn the seventh starting spot in the McLeod Construction TNT, and was joined the by third and fourth-place finishers, Jay Blair of Angie, LA, who will start 11th in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt, and Mark Clifton of Brewton, AL, who starts the big show from the 15th spot in the Escambia County Bank GRT.

The eighth, 12th, and 16th starting spots of the “Sweet 16” main event starting line-up were the second, third and fourth-place finishers respectively in the fourth heat. Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA was second in the CSC Trailer Repair GRT, followed by Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS in the Boland Performance Trak-Star, and William Thomas of Phenix City, AL in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion.

Drivers that finished fifth on back in each heat race will have a second opportunity to make the big show on Saturday night through one of two 15-lap B-Main races. Each B-Main will transfer the top three finishers into the main event.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point leader Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA is still on the outside looking in, and will start his J&J Transport Mastersbilt from the pole position of the first 15-lap B-main. Chris Tays of Corinth, MS, who is third in the National points, will also run the first B-main from the sixth starting spot in the Bud Coley Trucking Rocket.

Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame will be at Flomaton Speedway on Saturday night to sing the National Anthem and serve as Grand Marshall for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series event. Race fans will also be bidding in a special auction for a ride with Larry Boutwell, Shep Lucas, and Josh Huss in a two-seat dirt late model race car to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Gates open at 4 p.m., with racing scheduled for 7:30 p.m. For more information call Flomaton Speedway at 251-296-DIRT (3478), or visit the track web site at www.flomatonspeedway.com. Flomaton Speedway is located one-mile west of U.S. Highway 31 on State Road 113.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF ROUND 4 AT FLOMATON SPEEDWAY IN FLOMATON, AL ON 3/21/08:

QUALIFYING:

POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS ENG LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 57 Shep Lucas McKenzie, AL Trak-Star 604 12.653 12.548 12.548
2 88 Rusty Ellis Brewton, AL Trak Star 604 12.784 12.678 12.678
3 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL TnT 604 12.833 12.680 12.680
4 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA GRT 604 12.695 15.196 12.695
5 17 Chris O'Connor Cantonment, FL Warrior 604 12.771 12.956 12.771
6 44t Jim Till Greenville, AL Trak Star 604 12.783 13.081 12.783
7 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA Rocket 604 12.804 14.366 12.804
8 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA Warrior 604 13.404 12.854 12.854
9 02 Stephen Brantley Monroeville, AL Mastersbilt 604 12.867 12.932 12.867
10 25 Josh Huss Flomaton, AL TnT 604 12.915 13.984 12.915
11 41 Ted Lackey Munford, AL Warrior 604 12.948 12.943 12.943
12 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS Trak Star 604 13.026 12.954 12.954
13 66k Scott Knowles - R Lanett, AL GRT 604 13.180 12.982 12.982
14 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA DWB 604 13.282 12.986 12.986
15 30 Mark Clifton Brewton, AL GRT 604 13.015 13.061 13.015
16 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL Scorpion 604 13.017 13.036 13.017
17 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA Mastersbilt 604 13.143 13.072 13.072
18 55 Bo Odom Flomaton, AL Trick 602 13.074 13.203 13.074
19 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS Rocket 604 13.113 13.093 13.093
20 1m Jim Moon - R Zionsville, IN Rocket 604 13.096 13.276 13.096
21 33c Eric Cooley - R Fulton, MS Mastersbilt 604 13.351 13.134 13.134
22 18 Clint Holmes Molino, FL GRT 604 13.167 13.477 13.167
23 112 Jay Blair Angie, LA Mastersbilt 604 13.235 13.269 13.235
24 12 Hunter Peacock - R Macon, GA Bullet 604 13.269 13.251 13.251
25 1c Chris Carlson S. Milwaukee, WI Rocket 604 13.661 13.302 13.302
26 52 Marc Gooden LaFayette, AL GRT 604 13.335 13.333 13.333
27 19 Marcus Minga - R Shannon, MS Rayburn 604 14.098 13.333 13.333
28 8h Heath Gibson Brewton, AL GRT 604 13.580 13.379 13.379
29 34 Chad Wallace - R LaGrange, GA GRT 604 13.502 13.389 13.389
30 00h Chris Hoomes Brewton, AL GRT 604 13.880 13.407 13.407
31 14 Steve Godsey - R Bedford, IN Rayburn 604 13.431 13.535 13.431
32 25c Chris Griffin Flomaton, AL TnT 602 13.437 13.745 13.437
33 1h Jason Hiett - R Lincoln, AL GRT 604 13.453 13.450 13.450
34 51 Kenny Townson Evergreen, AL Larry Shaw 602 14.214 14.762 14.214
35 247 Spanky Sexton Brewton, AL Weeks 602 14.833 14.527 14.527

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

1ST HEAT: 1. O’Connor; 2. Lucas; 3. Knowles (R); 4. Brantley; 5. Fields; 6. Carlson; 7. Hiett (R); 8. Cooley (R); 9. Wallace (R).

2ND HEAT: 1. Ellis; 2. Turner; 3. Till; 4. Odom; 5. Holmes; 6. Huss; 7. Gooden; 8. Hoomes; 9. Townson.

3RD HEAT: 1. Ingram; 2. Boutwell; 3. Blair; 4. Clifton; 5. Lackey; 6. Godsey (R); 7. Tays; 8. Sexton; 9. Minga (R).

4TH HEAT: 1. Rainey; 2. Brindle; 3. Keeton; 4. Thomas; 5. Peacock; 6. Gibson; 7. Moon (R); 8. Griffin.

“SWEET 16” FEATURE RACE STARTING LINE-UP:
ROW 1:
17 Chris O’Connor – 88 Rusty Ellis
ROW 2:
F9 Frank Ingram – 87 Derrick Rainey
ROW 3:
57 Shep Lucas – 10 Matthew Turner
ROW 4:
58 Larry Boutwell – 38c Chip Brindle
ROW 5:
66k Scott Knowles (R) – 44t Jim Till
ROW 6:
112 Jay Blair – 22 Lucky Keeton
ROW 7:
02 Stephen Brantley – 55 Bo Odom
ROW 8:
30 Mark Clifton – 22 William Thomas

B-MAIN STARTING LINE-UPS (15 Laps – Top 3 Finishers Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN:
16 Jeff Fields – 41 Ted Lackey
1c Chris Carlson – 14 Steve Godsey (R)
1h Jason Hiett (R) – 8 Chris Tays
33c Eric Cooley (R) – 247 Spanky Sexton
34 Chad Wallace (R) – 19 Marcus Minga (R)

2ND B-MAIN:
18 Clint Holmes – 12 Hunter Peacock (R)
25 Josh Huss – 8h Heath Gibson
52 Marc Gooden – 1m Jim Moon (R)
00 Chris Hoomes – 25c Chris Griffin
51 Kenny Townson

R – Denotes Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidate