Collins Claims Talladega Short Track Crate Racin’ USA Win

EASTABOGA, AL – Tanner Collins of Franklin, GA drove the Newnan Bonding Rocket to his first career Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series win on Saturday night on NASCAR Weekend at Talladega Short Track. Collins took the lead on lap 16 and then pulled away after a restart with five laps to go to collect the $2,500 top prize.

Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series point leader Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, GA started tenth in the 5m Construction Rocket and finished in the second spot. Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL kept his title hopes alive with a third-place showing in the Skinner’s Body Shop Rocket.

Jimmy Thomas of Phenix City, AL finished fourth in the Scorpion Race Cars Special and Corey Dunn of Milledgeville, GA led the first 15 laps of the race and took the fifth spot in the Georgia Timber CVR. Dunn was also the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race.

T.J. Brittain of Centre, AL survived a late-race tangle to drive the Brittain Hauling Warrior to a sixth-place finish and Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL was seventh in the Bud Coley Trucking Special. Christian Hanger of Winchester, TN came back from an early race cut tire to finish eighth in the Hanger Hardwood Rocket.

Jason Lively of Eastaboga, AL finished ninth in the Lively Racing Special and Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA started 23rd in the Gentry’s Used Auto Parts/Clayton Signs Special and rounded out the top ten to earn the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Hard Charger of the Race Award from his Cousin Jake Knowles.

In preliminary action, Dunn earned the Boyd Built Fabricators Fast Time Award among the 35 entrants with a lap around Talladega Short Track in 14.810 seconds. The three ten-lap KRC Power Steering B-Main races were won by Ty Ellis of Covington, GA in the Precision Body Works Special, Lively and Brittain.

Dunn took the lead at the start of the 50-lap race followed by Collins, Kyler Heygood of Douglasville, GA in the Heygood Racing Special, Skinner and Thomas. On lap two, Collins, Skinner and Thomas battled three-wide for second in turns one and two. Collins held on to the second spot, with Skinner moving up to third, and Thomas settled into the fourth spot.

The first of five caution flags came out on lap three when Hanger cut down a tire, and the field doubled up for a Dixie-Style Double-File Restart. Doubled up behind Dunn in second through tenth respectively were Collins, Skinner, Heygood, Thomas, Shaw, Herrington, Matt Brocato of Muscle Shoals, AL in the Valley Metal Fabricators Special, Ahnna Parkhurst of Evans, GA in the EZ Go Special, and Lively.

Thomas got by Heygood for the fourth spot on the restart, and Herrington raced up to the fifth spot. Mike Combs of Odenville, AL spun in turn two on lap four to light up the yellow caution bulb for the second time. Dunn had Collins, Skinner, Thomas, Herrington, Brocato, Parkhurst, Brittain, Ellis and Jake Rainey of Hiram, GA in the Harrod Logging Special doubled up behind him for the restart.

The action picked up on lap seven when Thomas passed Skinner for the third spot, and by lap ten, Dunn had opened up a 1.6 second lead over Collins. Herrington dusted off the top shelf of Talladega Short Track and sailed around the outside of Skinner to take the fourth spot on lap 13. By lap 15, Dunn had caught the cars on the tail end of the lead lap, and business picked up.

Tanner chased down the leader and dove under him in turn three on lap 16. Dunn got caught behind the lapped car of Troy Dixon of Dallas, GA in the Granite Hauling and Grading Rocket which let Collins scoot underneath to take the lead coming off the fourth turn.

There was also action behind the battle for the lead on lap 16 when Herrington drove around outside of Thomas for the third spot. Just when Herrington caught Dunn to battle for second on lap 21, the caution came out for a turn four spin by Lee Burdett of Hueytown, AL in the LB Construction GRT.

Herrington made his outside move on the restart to pass Dunn for the second spot, and Skinner got by Thomas to take the fourth spot. Collins took a half straightaway lead over Herrington into lapped traffic on lap 35. By lap 40, Herrington and Skinner were all over Collins.

The leaders avoided disaster on lap 42 when Combs spun the Legacy Environmental Process Rocket in front of the lead trio in turn two. Collins and Herrington slipped by without contact, and Skinner had to dynamite the brakes to keep from getting into Combs. That earned Skinner the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award.

The final caution flag of the race came out on lap 45 when Brittain and Rainey tangled on the front straightaway while battling for the seventh spot. Crate Racin’ USA officials ticketed Rainey with the caution and Brittain got his spot back for the restart.

A single-file restart had Collins leading Herrington, Skinner, Thomas, Parkhurst, Dunn, Brittain, Shaw, Hanger and Knowles in the top ten. On the restart, Collins pulled away as Parkhurst fell off the pace. Herrington could not gain any ground on Collins, who took a 1.356 margin of victory under the checkered flag.

The next event for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series will be on Saturday night at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, AL for the $3,000-to-win 4th Annual King of the Crates Race, Round 14 of the 2020 season.

The economical Aluminum Head, Steel Block, Chevrolet Performance 604 Circle Track Engine is the engine of choice for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series competitors. The Chevrolet Performance 604 Engine is in stock and available for free next day delivery from Newsome Raceway Parts in Hartsville, SC.

Newsome Raceway Parts gives a portion of the sales from each Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine sold back to the Crate Racin’ USA Point Funds in four different Divisions. Each economical Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine is built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications. To place an order call 1-877-497-3624.

For more information and rules about the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.crateracinusa.com, or visit the series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CrateRacinUSA/. You can follow us on Twitter @CrateRacinUSALM, and at Instagram at crateracinusa.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 13 AT TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK IN EASTABOGA, AL ON 10/3/2020:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 24 Tanner Collins Franklin, GA 50 $2,500
2. 10 14 Wil Herrington Hawkinsville, GA 50 $1,250
3. 5 11 Cruz Skinner Oxford, AL 50 $850
4. 4 22 Jimmy Thomas Phenix City, AL 50 $700
5. 1 21 Corey Dunn (R) Milledgeville, GA 50 $650
6. 13 05 T.J. Brittain Centre, AL 50 $550
7. 7 1s Jeremy Shaw Millport, AL 50 $500
8. 6 29 Christian Hanger Winchester, TN 50 $450
9. 12 21j Jason Lively Eastaboga, AL 50 $400
10. 23 03 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA 50 $375
11. 17 44 Curtis Cline Douglasville, GA 50 $350
12 11 1 Ty Ellis (R) Covington, GA 50 $300
13. 18 15 Lane Shuler Ohatchee, AL 50 $280
14. 9 78 Matthew Brocato Muscle Shoals, AL 50 $260
15. 24 2 Trynt Lloyd (R/YG) Jacksonville, FL 50 $250
16. 25 39 Troy Dixon (R) Dallas, GA 48 $250
17. 8 23 Ahnna Parkhurst Evans, GA 45 $250
18. 15 87 Jake Rainey (YG) Hiram, GA 44 $250
19. 19 53 Sterling Freeman Chattanooga, TN 44 $250
20. 3 17 Kyler Heygood Douglasville, GA 41 $250
21. 16 6jr Parker Martin (R/YG) Milledgeville, GA 41 $250
22. 21 5 Mike Combs Odenville, AL 40 $250
23. 14 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 34 $250
24. 22 B97 Lee Burdett Hueytown, AL 26 $250
25. 20 C4 Cole Smartt Eastaboga, Al 23 $250

ENTRIES: 35
BOYD BUILT FABRICATORS FAST QUALIFIER: Dunn, 14.810 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Knowles and Lloyd
EMERGENCY PROVISIONAL: Dixon
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Dunn, 1-15; Collins, 16-50
LAPS LED: Collins, 35; Dunn, 15
KNOWLES RACE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Knowles (started 23rd and finished 10th)
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Skinner
FULLMOON GRAPHICS LUCKY 7 AWARD: Shaw
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Dunn
KRC POWER STEERING B-MAIN WINNERS: Ellis, Lively, and Brittain
CAUTIONS: 5
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1,356 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 34 Minutes and 56.243 Seconds
NEXT RACE: October 10, $3,000-to-win, 50-laps, North Alabama Speedway, Tuscumbia, AL