Fort Payne Motor Speedway
July 16, 2016
_____________________________________________________________

No Shirley; Putnam Takes 9th Annual Firecracker 50 @ Fort Payne

by Steve Hixson
Fort Payne, AL (7/16/16) --- If you left early for your car at Fort Payne with a few laps remaining in the 50 lap feature, you'd be hard to find out that Bo Shirley didn't take the checkered flag in the 9th annual "LKQ Auto Parts: Firecracker 50 at Fort Payne Motor Speedway. On lap 46, blue smoke began billowing from race-long leader Shirley and on lap 47 his night ended, 3 circuits premature. Josh Putnam of Florence, AL survived a mid-race scrap with defending race champion Robert Gant and then held off a resurgent Kenny Hall (on fresh rubber) for the $3,000 payday. "I thought I blew it all tonight when I failed to understand the start procedure they covered in the drivers meeting" Putnam told an early morning  crowd from Victory Lane. "It's good to be on this end of the luck for a change when Bo (Shirley) blew." Putnam graciously thanked the fans for sticking out the long night of action and thanked his "Wolf Pack Racing; Randle Chupp and Ed's Lawn Care" Longhorn raceteam.

Putnam started ninth out of the 23 of 25 starters Saturday, working into the Top 5 before halfway as Shirley led from his "Cat-Birds" seat. Former "Firecracker" champion Tyler Millwood of Kingston, GA started on the pole after clocking a 14:628. Millwood, Shirley and Gant won their respective heat races prior to a Fireworks display for racefans. Lap 4 saw the first of many cautions as Chris Beck and Jeff Fields tangled. Shirley worked masterfully through back-marker traffic by lap 10, as local favorite Lucas Burns gave chase early. Putnam and Hall (of Geraldine, AL) battled the entire race for 3rd and 4th as the laps clicked down. Hall closed on the last lap but Putnam powered to the checkers. Tennessee's Jay Brinkley salvaged a stout Top 5 in third with Beck and Shane Smith of Rome, GA rounding out the Top 5. Ford announced the addition of a 2nd United Crate Racing Alliance at his Fort Payne Motor Speedway, coming in six weeks on Saturday August 20th paying $2,500 to-WIN Crate Late Models.

1. Josh Putnam
2. Kenny Hall
3. Jay Brinkley
4. Chris Beck
5. Shane Smith
6. Bryan Grider
7. Darrell Hayes
8. Mario Gresham
9. Bill Mahan
10. Bo Shirley
11. Robert Gant
12. Lucas Burns
13. Richard Smith
14. J.T. Seawright
15. Tom Maddox
16. D.J. Hayes
17. Casey Turman
18. Jeff Fields
19. Tyler Millwood
20. Shay Miller
21. Dee Vaught
22. Mark Fields
23. Rod Carroll
24. Billy Flannigan Jr.
DNS: Jake Knowles