Cliburn Caps Competitive Clash With Chevy Super Series Whynot Win

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MERIDIAN, MS - When Ronnie Johnson set sail from the pole and opened a comfortable advantage in the first dozen laps of a Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series-sanctioned 50-lapper at Whynot Motorsports Park, it looked like a potential runaway victory in the making. Johnson was steadily pulling away from the rest of the field, the race had run caution-free, and the leader was gradually building his advantage.

The complexion changed dramatically when Johnson looped his machine unexpectedly on the 13th circuit, victimized by a broken inner heim joint on his car’s left-front lower control arm. The problem sent the Chattanooga, TN veteran to the pits, and set up a wildly-competitive battle royal that featured some sizzling racing between several different drivers before Jason Cliburn of Star, MS, emerged from 11th on the grid to defeat 17th-place starter Mike Boland in the $3,000-to-win contest for machines outfitted with Chevrolet Performance CT525 engines.

Third-place finisher Tim Busha, who took over the series points lead with some assistance from Johnson’s mechanical troubles, started from the outside of the fifth row, which meant none of the top-three finishers started higher than 10th spot on a very racy night at the action-producing speed plant.

Four different drivers led the race at the Rodney Wing-promoted oval, swapping the point a whopping five times. It marked the second night in a row that five lead changes took place in one of the touring series’ events, as the previous evening’s feature race at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., also featured five exchanges of the point. Cliburn paced the final 17 trips around the facility, taking the lead on lap 34 from veteran campaigner Johnny Stokes, who was aboard a car normally wheeled by Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS. Stokes led twice for eight circuits, participating as a main player in the most competitive and attention-getting portion of the event between laps 23-34.

Stokes, Tyler Crowder, Adam Martin, Jake Knowles (and eventually Cliburn, Boland and Busha) took part in the hotly-contested racing. Stokes, who mostly ran the top side, nosed his way into the lead battle to trigger the multi-grooved war for the point that started on lap 23, replacing Crowder as the race leader. Crowder fought back to pace laps 27-29, and Stokes returned to the front on the 30th circuit. That stint lasted just four laps before Cliburn made the winning move.

“Now that was a race!” said Crowder of Lamont, FL, after he led the race twice, spending 13 circuits at the front of the pack. “I spent the first half hitting the infield tires, and the second half knocking the wall down about every lap. I was babying the car around the bottom, and I wasn’t sure how far up the track I should go, and the next thing I knew I had a car on one side of me, and another car on the other side of me, and we were racing three wide for the lead.”

Cliburn finally ducked low in traffic between turns three and four to take a lead he would never relinquish, earning his first-career victory on the third-year series for Chevrolet Performance CT525-equipped machines.

“We all raced clean out there tonight, and it was a really good race,” Cliburn said. “The track surface was getting there, and had started to get pretty slick. I tried to be patient and watch the scoreboard, because this isn’t like Super Late Model racing where you can get spread out, and then make up the ground real quick. You can’t wait too long with this type racing, or they’ll be on ya before you know it.”

At times it appeared that everyone was near somebody somewhere on the racetrack, as a large crowd watched the entertaining race play out. Boland, a master craftsman using the low side of the historic oval, utilized that groove to poke his nose into the scene during the latter stages, but the Cuba, AL-based owner of Trak-Star Race Cars settled for a runner-up performance.

Busha’s third-place finish, coupled with Johnson’s troubles, resulted in a swap of the points lead between the two competitors. Johnson did return to action late in the race, but lost many points despite his effort, and now trails Busha by a slim six-marker margin in the chase for the prestigious series championship. Johnson is the reigning series titlist.

Seven cautions slowed the pace of the event, and 11 competitors finished the 50-lap distance. A multicar melee in turn two produced the worst wreck of the night, and knocked series regular Ross Martin out of action.
The next series event will be held July 17 at Penton Raceway in LaFayette, AL, an event which was rained out on June 12. One night later (July 18), Senoia Raceway in Senoia, GA, will host the traveling series for the first time in history.

For more information about the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.525superseries.com, or visit the series on Facebook at Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 4 AT WHYNOT MOTORSPORTS PARK IN MERIDIAN, MS ON 7/11/15:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 11 888 Jason Cliburn Star, MS 50 $3,000
2. 17 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 50 $1,500
3. 10 15 Tim Busha Boaz, AL 50 $1,000
4. 2 47c Tyler Crowder Lamont, FL 50 $850
5. 4 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA 50 $750
6. 3 110 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 50 $700
7. 8 95 Brandon Williams (R) Crossville, TN 50 $650
8. 12 21 Mario Gresham (R) Rome, GA 50 $600
9. 15 J8 Jadon Frame Winchester, TN 50 $550
10. 7 47a Adam Martin (R) Talladega, AL 50 $500
11. 13 11 Tim Dees Meridian, MS 50 $475
12. 19 72 Frank Wilson Milton, FL 49 $450
13. 14 23 Trevor Thompson (R) Dallas, GA 49 $425
14. 20 48 Tody Ratcliff Meridian, MS 47 $400
15. 6 38 Dillon Tidmore Glencoe, AL 39 $375
16. 5 55 Ryan King (R) Anniston, AL 37 $350
17. 21 58 Tony Thompson Ohatchee, AL 34 $325
18. 1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 28 $300
19. 9 47r Ross Martin Talladega, AL 23 $300
20. 16 J1 Josh Johnson (R) Winchester, TN 23 $300
21. 18 24 Barry Goodman Spring City, TN 22 $300

ENTRIES: 21
FAST QUALIFIER: R. Johnson, 13.092 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: 5
LAP LEADERS: R. Johnson, 1-12; Crowder, 13-22; Stokes, 23-26; Crowder, 27-29; Stokes, 30-33; Cliburn, 34-50.
LAPS LED: Cliburn, 17; Crowder, 13; R. Johnson, 12; Stokes, 8
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Williams
GRESHAM RACE PARTS FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Knowles
CRATEINSIDER.COM SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Stokes
BEYEA HEADERS SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: Williams
SCHAEFER’S OIL (presented by Chad Wallace) EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Gresham
SCHOENFELD HEADERS EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Gresham
IMAGE SCREEN PRINTING NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Frame
AR BODIES TENTH-PLACE AWARD: A. Martin
CAUTIONS:
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .352 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 35 Minutes, and 54.430 Seconds
NEXT EVENT: Penton Raceway, Penton, AL, July 17

QUALIFYING:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS TIME
1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt 13.092
2 47c Tyler Crowder Lamont, FL Longhorn 13.187
3 110 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS Mastersbilt 13.237
4 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA Rocket 13.399
5 55 Ryan King - R Anniston, AL TSR 13.416
6 38 Dillon Tidmore Glencoe, AL GRT 13.418
7 47a Adam Martin - R Talladega, AL Barry Wright 13.438
8 95 Brandon Williams - R Crossville, TN Mastersbilt 13.531
9 47r Ross Martin Talladega, AL Barry Wright 13.557
10 15 Tim Busha Boaz, AL GRT 13.567
11 888 Jason Cliburn Star, MS GRT 13.642
12 21 Mario Gresham - R Rome, GA Mastersbilt 13.646
13 11 Tim Dees Meridian, MS Trak-Star 13.667
14 23 Trevor Thompson - R Dallas, GA Rocket 13.679
15 J8 Jadon Frame Decherd, TN Revelution 13.713
16 J1 Josh Johnson - R Winchester, TN Revelution 13.779
17 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL Trak-Star 13.802
18 24 Barry Goodman Spring City, TN Rocket 13.816
19 72 Frank Wilson Milton, FL Trak-Star 13.985
20 48 Tody Ratcliff Meridian, MS Trak-Star 14.005
21 58 Tony Thompson Ohatchee, AL TSR NT

CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE SUPER LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 7/11/15:

1. 15 Tim Busha – 362
2. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 356
3. 47a Adam Martin (R) – 346
3. 47c Tyler Crowder – 346
5. 21 Mario Gresham (R) – 342
6. 55 Ryan King (R) – 306
6. 95 Brandon Williams (R) – 306
8. 66 Jake Knowles – 298
9. J8 Jadon Frame – 294
10. 58 Tony Thompson – 266
11. 47r Ross Martin – 256
12. 23 Trevor Thompson (R) – 254
13. 99g Jacob Grizzle – 216
14. 24 Barry Goodman – 190
15. J1 Josh Johnson (R) – 188
16. 1 Johnny Stokes – 182
17. 72 Frank Wilson – 174
18. 85 Jeff Smith – 150
18. 38 Dillon Tidmore – 150
20. A19 Adam Beeler (R) - 136

R – Denotes Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year Candidate


Chevrolet Performance Parts is the Title Sponsor of the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series. Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series. Sunoco Race Fuel is the Official Race Fuel of the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series. Panama City Cycles is the Official ATV Provider of the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series. Schaeffer’s Oil Presented By Chad Wallace is the Official Oil of the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series. AR Bodies is an Official Sponsor of the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series. Cruise With The Champions is an Official Sponsor of the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series. Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for 2015 are CrateInsider.Com, Gresham Racing Parts, Beyea Headers, Image Screen Printing, and Schoenfeld Headers.