Dennis “Rambo” Franklin celebrates his $2,000 victory on Friday night in the 40-lap NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series main event at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL. Photo courtesy East Bay Raceway Park
Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC shook off his bridesmaid role at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL, and became a bride on Friday night by winning the 40-lap main event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series driving the AES Racing Special. After the first two races of the season, Franklin also takes over the series point lead.
After finishing second in his last two races at East Bay Raceway Park, Franklin turned in a dominating performance by taking a 1.611 second margin of victory at the checkered flag over two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN.
Franklin took the lead from Gentry on a lap nine restart, and then led the rest of the way without a challenge for the point. After having carburetor issues the night before, but still finishing second on Thursday night, Rambo had smooth sailing 24 hours later.
“My crew found the problem we had with the carburetor last night, and the car really came to life tonight,” Franklin said. “I could drive the car where ever I needed to getting through lapped traffic. It feels good to finally make to victory lane here and I want to thank the fans for coming out tonight.”
Gentry turned in his best career performance at East Bay Raceway Park with his second-place finish while conducting R&D work for Bilstein Shocks. Gentry was testing the new $150 Bilstein Spec Shocks for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, and showed that spending less can be faster.
“We were good last night before the power steering belt came off on lap five, and Bilstein built be a new shock for tonight that made the car even better,” Gentry said. “This new $150 Bilstein Spec Shock is going to be a good thing for dirt late model racing by saving a lot of people a lot of money and still get great performance. Tonight, with these shocks, was the best I’ve ever ran here.”
Gentry was the fast qualifier among the 50 entrants with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 15.627 seconds, and he earned the pole position for the race by winning the first of four 12-lap heat races.
Franklin’s AES Racing teammate, Austin Hubbard of Sanford, DE, finished third and the super late model regular was impressed with the competition and the power provided by the $5,000 GM Performance 604 Crate Engine.
“These two nights here at East Bay Raceway Park is the first time I’ve ever driven a crate late model, and I was really surprised how much power these crate engines have,” Hubbard said. “I raced with Rambo in the Carolinas early in my career when I was about 13-years-old, and I’ve read a lot about David Earl Gentry. They’re tough competitors and I’m glad that AES Racing gave me the opportunity to race with them down here. I’ve read about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, and I’m having a great time racing down here with good close competition.”
Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV finished fourth, and Thursday night winner Jack Nosbisch Jr. was fifth. Nosbisch trails Franklin in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings by six points after the first two races of the 2012 season.
Shane Hitt of Buckhannon, WV drove to a sixth-place finish, and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS took the seventh spot. The 2011 VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL, finished eighth, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA was ninth.
Anthony White of Clinton, TN started 22nd and finished tenth to earn the Hedman Husler Award and a $100 bonus from Hedman Husler Hedders. Phillip Cobb of Apollo Beach, FL finished 14th and was the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race.
In other preliminary events, the second through fourth 12-lap heat race wins were taken by Hitt, Franklin, and Jake Teague of Oliver Springs, TN. The two 15-lap B-Main races were won by William Thomas of Phenix City, AL, and Doug Watson of Plant City, FL.
Gentry took the lead at the start of the race from the pole position coming off the second turn followed by Hitt, Franklin, Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL, and Horton. Franklin passed Hitt for the second spot on the first lap with an inside move coming off the fourth turn.
Franklin chased down Gentry and was beginning to look inside to challenge for the lead by lap seven, as the leaders approach the cars on the tail of the lead lap. The first of four caution flags came out on lap nine when Thomas spun in turn one. With Gentry in the lead, Franklin chose the inside for the Dixie-Style double file restart behind the leader with Hitt to his outside in third.
When the green flag came out, Franklin was able to find enough real estate on the inside to pass Gentry for the lead by the time they came off the fourth turn. Hubbard came from the seventh spot on the lap nine restart to move up to fourth by lap ten, and Hitt faded back to the sixth spot.
Shan Smith of Dade City, FL dropped out of the seventh spot on lap 15 and parked his ride for the night. As the race closed in on the halfway mark, Hubbard and Dixon caught Gentry in heavy lapped traffic and the three drivers waged a close battle for the second spot. After some contact on lap 19, Dixon slowed up and stalled to bring out the caution flag.
Dixon retired for the night and earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. Franklin led Gentry, Hubbard, Horton, Hitt, Nosbisch, Stokes, Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC, and Teague doubled up behind him for the restart. When the field went green, Hubbard challenged Gentry for second on the inside, but Gentry held on to the spot.
Cantrell spun out of the eighth spot on lap 21 in turn two bringing out the third caution flag of the race. The top ten for the restart was Franklin, Gentry, Hubbard, Horton, Hitt, Stokes, Nosbisch, Turner, Edge and Teague. On the restart, Nosbisch got busy as he vaulted from seventh to fifth. The final caution bulb of the race was lit on lap 22 when Teague spun in turn two.
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The race went clean and green the rest of the way, with Franklin reaching lapped traffic on lap 32. Gentry, Hubbard and Horton closed in on the leader, but Franklin made a bold move between two lapped cars coming off the fourth turn on lap 35, and he pulled away to take his second career win with the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and his first with series since 2006.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Tour returns to East Bay Raceway Park for its third and final race of their portion of the 36th Annual Winternationals on Saturday night with a 50-lap $3,000-to-win race.
For more information, visit nesmithracing.com.
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Winternationals Night Two Results – Feb. 3, 2012
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER
2. 1 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 40 $1,000
3. 7 37c Austin Hubbard Sanford, DE 40 $700
4. 6 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV 40 $550
5. 10 01 Jack Nosbisch Jr. Riverview, FL 40 $500
6. 2 2 Shane Hitt
7. 9 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $375
8. 11 18 Chase Edge Lafayette, AL 40 $350
9. 13 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $325
10. 22 17x Anthony White Clinton, TN 40 $400
11. 16 14 Maverick Varnadore Dover, FL 40 $275
12. 21 41 Travis Varnadore Dover, FL 40 $250
13. 18 07 Doug Watson Plant City, FL 40 $225
14. 19 32 Phillip Cobb (R) Apollo Beach, FL 40 $200
15. 24 24 Mark Tice
16. 23 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 40 $150
17. 14 114 Chris Cantrell (R) Chester, SC 40 $140
18. 15 17c Steve Cooke Mt. Airy, NC 39 $125
19. 25 46m Kyle Musselman Lutz, FL
20. 12 1g Pierce McCarter (R) Sevierville, TN 39 $125
21. 4 117 Jake Teague (R) Oliver Springs, TN 23 $125
22. 20 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN 20 $125
23. 5 95 Devin Dixon Apollo Beach, FL 19 $125
24. 8 99w Shan Smith
25. 17 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL 8 $125
