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Steve Hixson
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (June 21) - Two time Cleveland (TN) Speedway champ and 1999 O'Reilly Southern All-Star series champ Jamie Perry returned to glory Saturday night, winning the 30 lap Super Late Model race, to the delight of the crowd. Gone is the day of the familiar red # P4, as the RINGGOLD KID has a multiple of his old number in his new black # 16 'TJ Hunt Trucking, Choo Choo Materials' sponsored, Rayburn / Clements powered, Chevrolet Monte Carlo mount. With thirteen (13) racers set, qualifying took to the track and again BIG DADDY didn't dissappoint. The current SLM points leader Randy Burrows clocked a lightning strike of 13:540 as the final car to time. Drama was well full in qualifying as hometown hotshoe Todd Morrow careened off the turn four concrete and narrowly made the feature race line-up. In the first of two heat races Burrows held off Friday night's North Georgia Speedway SLM winner Derek Ellis for the pole of the feature. Heat # 2 saw 2nd fast qualifier Perry hold off Jeff Franklin for the 'cat-birds seat', the feature races outside pole position.
With Perry saddling up for his first 'FRONT ROW JOE' honors along side Burrows, the field took to green. Making a short Cleveland track debut, Chris Beck of Glencoe, AL drove the right rear wheel off the racecar bringing the field to a halt. As the lead duo again took green, the race was scattered, full of debris cautions in the first few laps. Perry was in control with Burrows delivering some heavy heat, looking for his 4th win of the season. Ellis was ridin 'Cool Hand Luke' style in 3rd and jabbin' every change underneath Burrows, mainly on the restarts. Billy Mayo was coming on strong, rollin under Franklin for 4th on lap 11. Morrow was motoring well outside the top 5, when something happened around the races halfway point, ending his night prematurely. Keith Frazier got in on the top 5 action on lap 18 following Mayo plowing of the low-line. This set Franklin's top 5 run out, as Mayo hounded Ellis for 3rd. Perry had a five car length lead over Burrows by lap 23 and all that dicipated when back marker traffic, showed the leader's 'ring-rust', tip toeing behind Dewayne Powell. Perry allowed Burrows a final shot, cutting the lead to less than a cars length, but the RINGGOLD KID took the checkers as Mayo passed Ellis, half a straight-away behind Burrows.
Franklin somehow got back by Frazier as the checkers flew, to earn a 5th place nod. Lamar Scoggins, 2007 champ Paul Tims, Nick Yancy and Powell rounded out the top 10. Ellis picked up the Monty Morrow bonus money, for the highest finish of the two nights between the Cleveland and N. GA tracks this weekend. The Pony Mid Season Championship was won after a protest on Michael Courtney, disqualified last weekends winner. Billy Callahan in the yellow # 32 of Chatsworth, GA was ordained the victor. DOWNTOWN Jimmy Brown was 2nd with current Pony points leader Jimmy Elliott was 3rd. Grady Stokes and Ronnie Shelton rounded out the top 5 finishers. In the Limited/Crate race Soddy Daisy, TN's Rick Hixson won his 9th feature of the season between the Cleveland & N. GA tracks. Hixson presently has 4-wins-in-a-row currently. Johnny Cloer Jr., Clint Lee, Brian Pritchard, and LIL' John Ownby followed Hixson to the checkers. In the A-Hobby Tanner Works won and survived a post race protest of his racecar. Kenny Pierce, Robbie Greene, Mitch Brady Jr., and David Brown rounded out the top 5.
A new winner emerged from the ranks of the B-Hobby. Eric Hughes was victorious over John Barats, Shane Nunley, Chad Collins and current B-Hobby points leader Michael Anderson. In the Front Wheel Drive division it was all John Burger. James Breland, recent division dominator Billy Bailey, Michael Arp and John Petty finished second thru fifth. The special $150 wheelbarrow race was won by the team of Kyle Pierce & Chuck Wright. Next Saturday night is the 31st annual Stars N' Stripes race, which host a Full Racing Program for all divisions before the tracks SummerBreak on the 4th of July weekend. For more details including a full field rundown, photo's, schedules and rules visit the tracks official web-site www.clevelandspeedway.com 24/7.
SLM Official Results
30 Laps $1,200. to-Win
1. Jamie Perry (# 16) of Ringgold, GA
2. Randy Burrows (# 95) of Chattanooga, TN
3. Billy Mayo (# 115) of Cleveland, TN
4. Derek Ellis (# 99) of Chatsworth, GA
5. Jeff Franklin (# J12) of Ten Mile, TN
6. Keith Frazier (# 11) of Cleveland, TN
7. Lamar Scoggins (# 32) of Cleveland, TN
8. Paul Tims (# 84) of Georgetown, TN
9. Nick Yancy (# N7) of Ringgold, GA
10. Dewayne Powell (# 79) of Chattanooga, TN
11. Shawn Reece (# 16) of Harrison, TN
12. Todd Morrow (# T1) of Cleveland, TN
13. Chris Beck (# 2C) of Cedar Bluff, AL
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