Post by LMR on 09/28/14 at 2:31pm
Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series
East Alabama Motor Speedway
September 27, 2014
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McCarter Wins A Chevy Super Series Survival Of The Fittest Race At EAMS
by Roby Helm
PHENIX CITY, AL (September 27) – Pierce McCarter of Gatlinburg, TN did what three drivers that ran in front of him didn’t do early in the race, and that was stay in the lead and win the 50-lap Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series portion of the 36th Annual Alabama State Championship Race on Saturday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway driving the McCarter Brothers Racing CVR.
Jeff Smith of Chatsworth, GA, Chris Madden of Laurens, SC and Donald Brasher of Burlington, NC ran in front of McCarter early in the race, but they were all out of the event by lap 11, and McCarter took over the lead.
“We were riding along there and Jeff Smith dropped out, then Brasher was gone, and then Madden pulled up,” McCarter said. “That gave me the lead and I was wondering if I needed to be there because I didn’t want to be next. We have a good race car because my brother drove it to a win two weeks ago in Tazewell, TN, so it’s my first win in this series and the car’s second.”
Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL was another driver that took advantage of the high attrition, as he drove the Dale’s Quick Lube Rocket to a second-place finish. Tim Busha of Boaz, AL took the third spot in the Kilpatrick Racing GRT, and Jake Knowles of Tyrone, GA was fourth in the Cedartown Electric Rocket.
Knowles was able to close to within 20 points of the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series point leader Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN with one race left in the 2014 season. Johnson was involved in a multi-car tangle on a lap four restart and the damage to his NeSmith Chevrolet Special resulted in a 19th-place finish.
Brandon Williams of Crossville, TN finished fifth in the Auto Zone Special, and Jacob Grizzle of Blairsville, GA drove the Carolina Performance Special to a sixth-place finish. Ray Cook of Brasstown, MS took the seventh spot in the Tommy Pope Construction Special, and Cecil Eunice of Blackshear, GA came from the 20th starting spot to finish eighth in the Ace Pole Company Special.
Tyler Crowder of Lamont, FL made two trips to the pits for repairs, but kept digging to salvage a ninth-place finish in the Crowder Trucking Rocket. Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL rounded out the top ten in the Edge’s Gas Company Special and was the highest finishing Rookie of the Year Candidate of the race.
In preliminary action, Smith drove the Hill Motorsports Warrior to fast time honors among the 27-car field with a lap in 16.033 seconds. Knowles came from the sixth starting spot to win the 12-lap B-Main Race.
The initial start of the race was negated when Cook sailed off the turn two banking on the first lap of the race. The complete restart saw the second caution flag when McCarter spun coming off the bottom of the second turn. On the second complete restart, Smith took the lead from pole position followed by Brasher, Madden, McCarter, and Ryan King of Anniston, AL.
Cook had more problems on lap three when he stalled on the backstretch to bring out the third caution flag. Smith had Brasher, Madden, McCarter, King, Dudley, Williams, Edge, Crowder, and Busha doubled up behind him for the Dixie-style double file restart. The field raced for one more lap until David Brannon of Elora, TN stalled the Elora Gin Company Special in turn four.
The restart saw a multi-car tangle in turn four to bring out the caution flag, and Johnson’s car had visible damage on the left-front corner. Johnson did not pit and soldiered on, only to realize he couldn’t run the car safely at race speed, and he slowed on the track to bring out the fifth caution flag on lap five.
Madden got by Brasher for the second spot during the green flag lap, and the lead changed hands during the caution period when Smith suddenly slowed and had to be pushed to the pit area. Officials went to a single file restart with Madden leading Brasher, McCarter, King, Dudley, Williams, Edge, Busha, Knowles, and Adkins down for the restart.
Brasher fell off the pace on lap seven and coasted to the pits in the Mega Plumbing Rocket, while the race remained green. That moved McCarter up to the second spot behind Madden, but once again, tough luck consumed a race front-runner on lap 12 when Madden slowed in turn one with a cut down right-rear tire. Madden parked the Crowder Trucking Special for the night.
McCarter now took charge of the field followed by King, Dudley, Williams, Busha, Knowles, Edge, Grizzle, Adkins, and Jadon Frame of Winchester, TN in the Poultry Electric/Pro Hardware Special in the top ten. The field seemed to settle in after the restart, as McCarter began to encounter the cars on the tail of the lead lap on the 20th tour.
The top ten at the halfway point of the 50-lap race showed McCarter the leader followed by King, Dudley, Williams, Busha, Knowles, Edge, Grizzle, Adkins, and Cook, who came back from his second pit stop into the tenth spot. Cook got by Adkins for the ninth spot on lap 30, while up at the front of the pack, McCarter had put two lapped cars between himself and King.
Busha got inside Williams coming off the fourth turn on lap 34 to take the fourth spot, and Knowles followed Busha’s lead by getting underneath Williams for the fifth spot going into turn one on lap 35. Johnson was ticketed with his second caution flag of the race on lap 36 when he stalled on the front straightaway, and was done for the night.
When the field went back to green, King had nothing for McCarter, as the leader pulled out to a half straightaway advantage by lap 40. Dudley took over the second spot on lap 42 when King suddenly slowed off the pace and coasted to the pits, as the field kept racing under green.
Edge gave up the seventh spot on lap 43 when he cut down a right-rear tire and brought out the ninth and final caution flag of the race. McCarter was quick to open up a lead on Dudley after the restart, and breezed home to the checkered flag with a 1.293 second margin of victory.
The next event for the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series will be the 2014 season finale at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL with the $6,000-to-win 2nd Annual Dega 100.
For more information about the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.525superseries.com
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 8 AT EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN PHENIX CITY, AL ON 9/27/14:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 5 51 Pierce McCarter Gatlinburg, TN 50 $3,000
2. 10 55d Montana Dudley Phenix City, AL 50 $1,500
3. 11 15 Tim Busha Boaz, AL 50 $1,000
4. 13 66 Jake Knowles Tyrone, GA 50 $850
5. 6 95 Brandon Williams Crossville, TN 50 $750
6. 19 99g Jacob Grizzle Blairsville, GA 50 $700
7. 18 53 Ray Cook Brasstown, NC 50 $650
8. 20 22 Cecil Eunice Blackshear, GA 50 $600
9. 7 47c Tyler Crowder Lamont, FL 50 $550
10. 9 18 Chase Edge (R) LaFayette, AL 50 $500
11. 17 J8 Jadon Frame (R) Winchester, TN 50 $475
12. 16 33 David Brannon Elora, TN 49 $450
13. 14 110 Brent Barrett (R) Cleveland, MS 49 $425
14. 24 72 Frank Wilson Milton, FL 48 $400
15. 23 88d Mark Dowdy Waterloo, AL 48 $375
16. 4 55 Ryan King Anniston, AL 42 $350
17. 22 99 J.R. Moseley Columbus, GA 41 $325
18. 15 19m Josh Adkins (R) Talladega, AL 37 $300
19. 8 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 27 $300
20. 2 6 Chris Madden Laurens, SC 11 $300
21. 3 93 Donald Brasher Burlington, NC 6 $300
22. 1 17s Jeff Smith Chatsworth, GA 4 $300
23. 12 38 Dillon Tidmore Glencoe, AL 3 $300
24. 21 11 Lavon Sparks Phenix City, AL 3 $300
ENTRIES: 27
FAST QUALIFIER:
PROVISIONALS: Dowdy and Wilson
LEAD CHANGES: 2
LAP LEADERS: Smith, 1-4; Madden, 5-11; McCarter, 12-50
LAPS LED: McCarter, 39; Madden, 7; Smith; 4
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Edge
SCHAEFFER’S OIL 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Eunice
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Crowder
DAVID SMITH CARBURETORS 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Edge
MIKE’S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Frame
SHORTY’S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: Brannon
CAUTIONS: 9
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.293 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 49 Minutes and 6.704 Seconds
QUALIFYING (Top 12 Transfer To Main Event):
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 17s Jeff Smith Chatsworth, GA Warrior 16.259 16.033 16.033
2 6 Chris Madden Laurens, SC Barry Wright 16.265 16.365 16.265
3 93 Donald Brasher Burlington, NC Rocket 16.508 16.292 16.292
4 55 Ryan King Anniston, AL TSR 16.461 16.349 16.349
5 51 Pierce McCarter Gatlinburg, TN CVR 16.395 16.905 16.395
6 95 Brandon Williams Crossville, TN Mastersbilt 16.409 16.480 16.409
7 47c Tyler Crowder Lamont, FL Rocket 16.526 16.428 16.428
8 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt 16.454 16.827 16.454
9 18 Chase Edge - R LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 16.646 16.478 16.478
10 55d Montana Dudley Phenix City, AL Rocket 16.889 16.517 16.517
11 15 Tim Busha Boaz, AL GRT 16.547 16.699 16.547
12 38 Dillon Tidmore Glencoe, AL Barry Wright 16.577 16.878 16.577
13 110 Brent Barrett - R Cleveland, MS Mastersbilt 16.584 16.598 16.584
14 33 David Brannon Elora, TN Barry Wright 16.623 16.612 16.612
15 11 Lavon Sparks Phenix City, AL GRT 16.667 16.719 16.667
16 53 Ray Cook Brasstown, NC Mastersbilt 16.683 16.672 16.672
17 19m Josh Adkins - R Talladega, AL Barry Wright 16.740 16.815 16.740
18 66 Jake Knowles Tyrone, GA Rocket 16.752 16.880 16.752
19 J8 Jadon Frame - R Winchester, TN Revelution 16.772 17.538 16.772
20 99g Jacob Grizzle Blairsville, GA Mastersbilt 16.835 17.046 16.835
21 99 J.R. Moseley Columbus, GA Barry Wright 16.931 16.972 16.931
22 22 Cecil Eunice Blackshear, GA Mastersbilt 17.213 16.945 16.945
23 20 Glenn Brewer Columbus, GA Rocket 16.961 17.130 16.961
24 72 Frank Wilson Milton, FL Trak-Star 17.529 17.208 17.208
25 88d Mark Dowdy Waterloo, AL Killer 17.250 17.227 17.227
26 101 Forrest Trent Talbott, TN Rocket 17.456 17.380 17.380
27 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA DWB NT NT NT
B-MAIN (12 Laps – Top 10 Transfer To Main Event): 1. Knowles; 2. Barrett (R); 3. Adkins (R); 4. Brannon; 5. Frame (R); 6. Cook; 7. Grizzle; 8. Eunice; 9. Sparks; 10. Moseley; 11. Brewer; 12. Wilson; 13. Trent; 14. Dowdy; 15. Turner DNS.
CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE SUPER LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 9/27/14:
1. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 744
2. 66 Jake Knowles – 724
3. 47c Tyler Crowder – 710
4. 99g Jacob Grizzle – 680
5. 110 Brent Barrett (R) – 608
6. J8 Jadon Frame (R) – 596
7. 88d Mark Dowdy – 514
8. 11 Lavon Sparks – 504
9. 15 Tim Busha – 472
10. 33 David Brannon – 460
11. 18 Chase Edge (R) – 456
12. 19m Josh Adkins (R) – 416
13. 49 Dingus Griffin – 370
14. 10 Matthew Turner – 366
15. 95 Brandon Williams – 346
16. 72 Frank Wilson – 340
17. 51 Pierce McCarter – 274
18. 55 Ryan King – 248
19. 99 J.R. Moseley – 214
20. 38 Dillon Tidmore - 200