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Roby Helm
PENTON, Ala (June 18) - Larry Harrod of Plains, GA took his first career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring win and the $2,000 top prize on Friday night in the Stars and Stripes 40 at Penton Raceway driving the Harrod Logging Scorpion. Harrod led wire-to-wire after starting on the pole position to post a "Clean Sweep" for the event.
With the win at Penton Raceway on Friday night, Harrod will try to continue the streak of Penton Raceway NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series winners that have gone on to win the next night at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL. William Thomas of Phenix City, AL did it in 2008 and Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL turned the trick in 2009.
Harrod was a man of few words in Victory Lane, but instead did all of his talking on the race track with his right foot. When asked how he felt about his first win, Harrod simply said, "It feels good, but I don't know what else to say." When asked if he could sweep the Penton/East Alabama Motor Speedway weekend, Harrod just said, "We're gonna do it!"
In addition to taking the victory on Friday night, Harrod was also the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race, and set fast time among the 34 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.453 seconds. Harrod's margin of victory over Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Turner Excavating DWB was .990 seconds.
Thomas finished third in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion and the 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Champion Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA took the fourth spot in the Bryson Motorsports Mastersbilt. The defending NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS took the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place in the 78 Towing and Recovery Victory Circle.
Tod Darda of LaGrange, GA drove the Darda Tire GRT to the KRC Sixth-Place Award, and Justin McRee of Cuba, AL claimed the Joe Gibbs Driven Oil Seventh-Place Award in the Century Dedicated, Inc. Trak-Star. Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS won the Race Car Engineering Eighth-Place Award in the Billy Riels Racing GRT.
Chris McElhenney of Lake, MS drove the G&M Trucking Trak-Star to the Maximum Signs and Graphics Ninth-Place Award, and Rodgerick Dykes of Smith Station, AL took the KRC Tenth-Place Award in the Dyke's Towing GRT. Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL was the Mike's Custom Tanks 11th-Place Award winner in the Edge's Gas Mastersbilt, and Jay Burchfield of Columbus, MS took the Shorty's Shock Service 12th-Place Award in Burchfield's Body Shop Mastersbilt.
Harrod took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Thomas, Turner, Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA in the Barto Enterprises Warrior, and Brindle. Edge spun in turn four on the opening lap to bring out the caution flag which necessitated a complete restart.
When the field went back to green, Harrod again took the point with Turner hanging on to second, while Thomas settled into the third spot with Rainey in fourth and Paul Walters of Valley, AL in fifth driving the PW Performance Warrior. Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA stalled the Scotty's Muffler TNT in turn four on lap four to bring out the second caution flag.
The restart saw Walters get by Rainey coming off the fourth turn on lap four to take over the fourth spot. Harrod continued to lead, and began to encounter lapped traffic on lap eight. Turner and Thomas tried to close in on Harrod, but the caution flag came out for the third time on lap 11 for debris.
Harrod led Turner, Thomas, Walters, Rainey, Brindle, Cooley, Charlie Henderson of Cottondale, AL in the Century Dedicated, Inc. Mastersbilt, Darda, and McRee down for the restart. Turner could stay within three car-lengths of Harrod, but by lap 18, the leader was again negotiating lapped traffic.
Using some well-timed moves through traffic, Harrod was actually able to open up a bigger lead on Turner and Thomas. Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS stalled the B&M Salvage Rocket in turn four on lap 25 to bring out the fourth caution flag of the race. When the field went back to green, Henderson lost four spots and began to have handling problems.
Rainey put heavy pressure on Walters in a battle for the fourth spot. The battle turned into an all-out war on lap 37 when the two locked wheels and spun in turn four to bring out the fifth and final caution flag. The battle continued after the dust cleared with both drivers exiting their race cars for an exchange of verbal jabs, finger pointing, and hood climbing.
During the caution period, Henderson had to give up the tenth spot, as the root of his handling problem came to the surface with a flat right-rear tire. That earned the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the year point leader the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
The four-lap dash to the finish saw Turner trying to make an inside move at the drop of the green flag for the restart, but Harrod was up to the challenge, and pulled away for the win. The next event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be the $2,500-to-win Salute To The Armed Forces 50 on Saturday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 9 AT PENTON RACEWAY IN PENTON, AL ON 6/18/10:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 27 Larry Harrod (R) Plains, GA 40 $2,000
2. 2 77 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $1,000
3. 3 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL 40 $700
4. 6 21b Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 40 $550
5. 8 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $600
6. 10 91 Tod Darda LaGrange, GA 40 $425
7. 12 25 Justin McRee Cuba, AL 40 $375
8. 14 47 Shannon Lee (R) Lumberton, MS 40 $350
9. 13 28 Chris McElhenney Lake, MS 40 $325
10. 15 5 Rodgerick Dykes Smith Station, AL 40 $300
11. 9 18 Chase Edge Lafayette, AL 40 $275
12. 16 25b Jay Burchfield Columbus, MS 40 $250
13. 22 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 40 $325
14. 7 88 Charlie Henderson (R) Cottondale, AL 40 $200
15. 19 1 Kevin Maher McDavid, FL 39 $175
16. 20 16 Josh Noles LaGrange, GA 38 $150
17. 4 P19 Paul Walters Valley, AL 36 $140
18. 5 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 36 $125
19. 18 55 Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL 30 $125
20. 23 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 21 $125
21. 21 23c Curtis Cline Douglasville, GA 20 $125
22. 11 52 Marc Gooden Lafayette, AL 19 $125
23. 24 121 Michael Blount (R) Sumrall, MS 17 $125
24. 18 55k Ryan King Anniston, AL 2 $125
ENTRIES: 34
FAST QUALIFIER: Harrod, 14.453 Seconds
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Harrod, 1-40
VP RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Harrod
GM PERFORMANCE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Nipper (started 22nd and finished 13th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Henderson
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Cooley
KRC SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Darda
JOE GIBBS DRIVEN OIL SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: McRee
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Lee
MAXIMUM SIGNS AND GRAPHICS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: McElhenney
KRC TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Dykes
MIKE'S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Edge
SHORTY'S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: Burchfield
CAUTIONS: 5
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .990 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 32 Minutes and 50.134 Seconds
HEAT RACES (12 Laps - Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):
1ST HEAT: 1. Gooden; 2. Lee (R); 3. Nowell; 4. Noles; 5. Marchman; 6. Hendrix; 7. Minga; 8. Parkerson DNS.
2ND HEAT: 1. McRee; 2. Dykes; 3. King; 4. Cline; 5. Huss; 6. Comer; 7. Blount (R); 8. Wilson (R) DNS.
3RD HEAT: 1. McElhenney; 2. Burchfield (R); 3. Maher; 4. Nipper; 5. Sanders; 6. Dixon; 7. Knowles LT; 8. Landrum DNS.
NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 6/18/10:
1. 33c Eric Cooley - 820
2. 10 Matthew Turner - 774
3. 25 Justin McRee - 722
4. 88 Kevin Henderson (R) - 680
5. 47 Shannon Lee (R) - 660
6. 28 Chris McElhenney - 644
7. 27 Larry Harrod (R) - 630
8. 19 Marcus Minga - 602
9. 121 Michael Blount (R) - 542
10. 25b Jay Burchfield (R) - 524
11. 1 Johnny Stokes - 408
12. 22 William Thomas - 366
13. 72 Frank Wilson (R) - 326
14. C16 Chris Ragan - 316
15. 116 Randy Weaver - 296
16. T9 Troy Dixon (R) - 286
17. B69 Bryan Bernhardt - 282
18. 18 Ronny Lee Hollingsworth - 280
19. 33 Jeff Mathews - 268
20. 73 Evan Ellis (R) - 266
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