crusapr
11-06-2014, 11:08 AM
CARTERSVILLE, GA – The year was 2006. Crate Racin’ USA had its first season and the Inaugural $10,000-to-win World Championship Race in the books. Series Founder and Director Mike Vaughn prepared for the second season in a big way. He didn’t just double-down, he went all in.
StormPay.com of Clarksville, TN signed on as the title sponsor for Crate Racin’ USA, and Vaughn also hired veteran dirt late model publicist Roby Helm, formerly with the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Late Model Series, as the series Announcer and Communications Director to give the series a larger presence on the national media stage.
The series schedule went from less than ten races in 2005 to 21 events in six different states for the 2006 National Tour. The Annual Point Fund for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series was increased to $50,000 with $20,000 going to the National Champion.
In addition to the touring races, the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series was formed to give weekly non-traveling racers an opportunity to compete for both a Track point fund and a National Point Fund. Vaughn got the attention of weekly tracks, as 15 of them in five different states signed on for the first season.
Veteran super late model driver David Earl Gentry of Lewisburg, TN found the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series to his liking, as he won the first race of the season at the Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL and then added six more wins on his way to the 2006 National Championship.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA finished second in the point standings followed by Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA, Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, TN, 2006 Rookie of the Year Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA, Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA, Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA, Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN, and National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame drivers Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN and Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN.
Other 2006 race winners were Buckingham and Johnson with three wins apiece, Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL had two wins, while Mike Boland of Cuba, AL, Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN, Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC, Tom Maddox of Centre, AL, and Beard had one win apiece.
Gentry’s total of seven wins in a single season was a record that held until the 2014 season. Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL won the StormPay.com East Region Championship and Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS won the West Region Championship.
The 2006 season showed the nay-sayers of the Chevrolet Performance 604 Circle Track Engine that it was here to stay in dirt late model racing, as 290 different drivers competed in StormPay.com Touring events, and 313 different drivers earned points during the 2006 StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series season.
The World Championship Race at East Bay Raceway in Tampa, FL on December 16 would give a big exclamation point to the end of the 2006 season, as 92 entrants from 14 different states showed up to compete for the $10,000 top prize.
Owens was back to defend his title, and was joined by super late model stars Randy Korte of Highland, IL, Rodney Melvin of Benton, IL, Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, IL, John Anderson of Omaha, NE, Franklin, and NASCAR star Ken Schrader of Fenton, MO.
In a 100-lap race that saw five different leaders and the Top 5 finishers starting 12 or worse, Korte came from the 19th starting spot to take the lead on lap 18 before Anthony White of Clinton, TN took over the point on lap 37. After a hard fought battle with White, Korte took the lead on lap 69 and went on to win the 2nd Annual World Championship Race.
“This is the first time I’ve ever driven a dirt late model with a crate engine, and I was really happy with the way it performed,” Korte said. “I wish Anthony could have stayed in the race because that was really fun racing him for the lead.”
The car Korte drove to victory was a machine he was very familiar with because he used to own it.
“Terry Eaglin just bought this car from me,” Korte said. “He put a crate engine in it, and asked me to drive here this weekend. There was a little bit of a learning curve, but once I got used to it, we were pretty good.”
Buckingham started 15th and finished second. Owens had to take a Defending Race Champion Provisional to make the race, and charged from the 26th starting spot to take third in the race. Local favorite Jeff Mathews of Seffner, FL started 12th and was fourth, and Fields came from the 17th starting spot to round out the Top 5.
In preliminary action, Smith was the Fast Qualifier, and the six Heat Races were won by Griffin Kinsey of Lafayette, GA, John Pursley of Clover, SC, Keeton, Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA, Jason McBride of Carbondale, IL, and White. The three B-Main Races were won by Korte, Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL, and Phillip Cobb of Riverview, FL.
Mike Vaughn’s vision of affordable dirt late model racing for a National Tour and Weekly Racing had come into focus during the 2006 season. Race fans, Track Promoters and Dirt Late Model competitors were now paying close attention to what this concept had to offer with economical close dirt late model racing.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE 2ND ANNUAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 12/15-16/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 19 00k Randy Korte Highland, IL 100 $10,000
2. 15 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 100 $5,000
3. 26 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN 100 $3.000
4. 12 33 Jeff Matthews Seffner, FL 100 $2,000
5. 17 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 100 $1,750
6. 9 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 100 $1,500
7. 4 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 100 $1,300
8. 24 54 Terry Lumley Twin City, GA 100 $1,200
9. 18 02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico, FL 100 $1,100
10. 16 1t Terry Mosley Gilbertown, AL 100 $1,000
11. 2 9 John Pursley Clover, SC 100 $800
12. 21 03 Phillip Cobb Riverview, FL 99 $700
13. 10 2f Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC 96 $600
14. 11 T1 Timbo Mangum Lancaster, SC 79 $500
15. 6 2x Anthony White Clinton, TN 70 $450
16. 22 44c Curtis Cline Douglasville, GA 64 $440
17. 20 2d Devin Dixon Apollo Beach, FL 64 $430
18. 8 21b Frankie Beard Hartwell, GA 46 $420
19. 25 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 43 $400
20. 13 99 Ken Schrader Fenton, MO 36 $400
21. 14 27 Jay Brinkley Shelbyville, TN 17 $400
22. 1 00x Griffin Kinsey Lafayette, GA 14 $400
23. 23 67 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA 13 $400
24. 3 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS 12 $400
25. 5 77 Jason McBride Carbondale, IL 12 $400
26. 7 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 12 $400
ENTRIES: 92
FAST QUALIFIER: Smith – 16.344 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Nichols and Owens
LEAD CHANGES: 4
LAP LEADERS: Pursley, 1-14; Nipper, 15-17; Korte, 18-36; White, 37-68; Korte, 69-100
LAPS LED: Korte, 51; White, 32; Pursley, 14; Nipper, 3
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Owens (started 26th and finished 3rd)
CAUTIONS: 11
TIME OF THE RACE: 1 Hour, 7 Minutes, and 23.220 Seconds
StormPay.com of Clarksville, TN signed on as the title sponsor for Crate Racin’ USA, and Vaughn also hired veteran dirt late model publicist Roby Helm, formerly with the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Late Model Series, as the series Announcer and Communications Director to give the series a larger presence on the national media stage.
The series schedule went from less than ten races in 2005 to 21 events in six different states for the 2006 National Tour. The Annual Point Fund for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series was increased to $50,000 with $20,000 going to the National Champion.
In addition to the touring races, the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series was formed to give weekly non-traveling racers an opportunity to compete for both a Track point fund and a National Point Fund. Vaughn got the attention of weekly tracks, as 15 of them in five different states signed on for the first season.
Veteran super late model driver David Earl Gentry of Lewisburg, TN found the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series to his liking, as he won the first race of the season at the Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL and then added six more wins on his way to the 2006 National Championship.
Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA finished second in the point standings followed by Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA, Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, TN, 2006 Rookie of the Year Frankie Beard of Hartwell, GA, Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA, Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA, Carnell Parker III of Clarksville, TN, and National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame drivers Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN and Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN.
Other 2006 race winners were Buckingham and Johnson with three wins apiece, Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL had two wins, while Mike Boland of Cuba, AL, Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN, Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC, Tom Maddox of Centre, AL, and Beard had one win apiece.
Gentry’s total of seven wins in a single season was a record that held until the 2014 season. Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL won the StormPay.com East Region Championship and Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS won the West Region Championship.
The 2006 season showed the nay-sayers of the Chevrolet Performance 604 Circle Track Engine that it was here to stay in dirt late model racing, as 290 different drivers competed in StormPay.com Touring events, and 313 different drivers earned points during the 2006 StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series season.
The World Championship Race at East Bay Raceway in Tampa, FL on December 16 would give a big exclamation point to the end of the 2006 season, as 92 entrants from 14 different states showed up to compete for the $10,000 top prize.
Owens was back to defend his title, and was joined by super late model stars Randy Korte of Highland, IL, Rodney Melvin of Benton, IL, Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, IL, John Anderson of Omaha, NE, Franklin, and NASCAR star Ken Schrader of Fenton, MO.
In a 100-lap race that saw five different leaders and the Top 5 finishers starting 12 or worse, Korte came from the 19th starting spot to take the lead on lap 18 before Anthony White of Clinton, TN took over the point on lap 37. After a hard fought battle with White, Korte took the lead on lap 69 and went on to win the 2nd Annual World Championship Race.
“This is the first time I’ve ever driven a dirt late model with a crate engine, and I was really happy with the way it performed,” Korte said. “I wish Anthony could have stayed in the race because that was really fun racing him for the lead.”
The car Korte drove to victory was a machine he was very familiar with because he used to own it.
“Terry Eaglin just bought this car from me,” Korte said. “He put a crate engine in it, and asked me to drive here this weekend. There was a little bit of a learning curve, but once I got used to it, we were pretty good.”
Buckingham started 15th and finished second. Owens had to take a Defending Race Champion Provisional to make the race, and charged from the 26th starting spot to take third in the race. Local favorite Jeff Mathews of Seffner, FL started 12th and was fourth, and Fields came from the 17th starting spot to round out the Top 5.
In preliminary action, Smith was the Fast Qualifier, and the six Heat Races were won by Griffin Kinsey of Lafayette, GA, John Pursley of Clover, SC, Keeton, Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA, Jason McBride of Carbondale, IL, and White. The three B-Main Races were won by Korte, Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL, and Phillip Cobb of Riverview, FL.
Mike Vaughn’s vision of affordable dirt late model racing for a National Tour and Weekly Racing had come into focus during the 2006 season. Race fans, Track Promoters and Dirt Late Model competitors were now paying close attention to what this concept had to offer with economical close dirt late model racing.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE 2ND ANNUAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 12/15-16/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 19 00k Randy Korte Highland, IL 100 $10,000
2. 15 44 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 100 $5,000
3. 26 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN 100 $3.000
4. 12 33 Jeff Matthews Seffner, FL 100 $2,000
5. 17 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 100 $1,750
6. 9 56 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 100 $1,500
7. 4 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 100 $1,300
8. 24 54 Terry Lumley Twin City, GA 100 $1,200
9. 18 02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico, FL 100 $1,100
10. 16 1t Terry Mosley Gilbertown, AL 100 $1,000
11. 2 9 John Pursley Clover, SC 100 $800
12. 21 03 Phillip Cobb Riverview, FL 99 $700
13. 10 2f Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC 96 $600
14. 11 T1 Timbo Mangum Lancaster, SC 79 $500
15. 6 2x Anthony White Clinton, TN 70 $450
16. 22 44c Curtis Cline Douglasville, GA 64 $440
17. 20 2d Devin Dixon Apollo Beach, FL 64 $430
18. 8 21b Frankie Beard Hartwell, GA 46 $420
19. 25 17 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 43 $400
20. 13 99 Ken Schrader Fenton, MO 36 $400
21. 14 27 Jay Brinkley Shelbyville, TN 17 $400
22. 1 00x Griffin Kinsey Lafayette, GA 14 $400
23. 23 67 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA 13 $400
24. 3 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS 12 $400
25. 5 77 Jason McBride Carbondale, IL 12 $400
26. 7 00 Jeff Smith Villanow, GA 12 $400
ENTRIES: 92
FAST QUALIFIER: Smith – 16.344 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Nichols and Owens
LEAD CHANGES: 4
LAP LEADERS: Pursley, 1-14; Nipper, 15-17; Korte, 18-36; White, 37-68; Korte, 69-100
LAPS LED: Korte, 51; White, 32; Pursley, 14; Nipper, 3
NeSMITH CHEVROLET HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Owens (started 26th and finished 3rd)
CAUTIONS: 11
TIME OF THE RACE: 1 Hour, 7 Minutes, and 23.220 Seconds