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James Essex
CHATSWORTH, Ga. (June 12) - Joe Armes of Petros, TN led all 50 laps, and captured his second career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event on Friday Night. It was Round 2 of the Summer Sizzler Tour at North Georgia Speedway, which set the stage for Armes' convincing victory. With the win, Armes becomes the 13th different winner on the series tour in 2009. This was also his first win driving a Bloomquist Chassis. He earned $10,000 for the victory before a packed grandstand. Ray Cook of Brasstown, NC trailed Armes throughout the entire race as he finished second followed by series points leader, Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN, Randy Weaver of Crossville, TN, and Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN rounded out the top five.
Armes and Cook made up the front row for the 50 lap event with Armes grabbing the lead at the start as Cook fell to second with Earl Pearson Jr., Dale McDowell, and Bloomquist in the top five running order with one lap scored.
Armes quickly started to pick up the tail end of the field and by the eighth lap he was bearing down on traffic as Cook kept within striking distance of him. The duo of Armes and Cook then raced four laps nose to tail with Cook waiting patiently for an opening to take the lead away from Armes.
Meanwhile, Pearson and McDowell were trying to overtake a lapped car, racing side-by-side for the third spot and while entering turn three on lap 13 the two veteran drivers got together and came to a halt on the track. As a result of the incident, McDowell's car was too damaged to continue as he headed to his pit area. Pearson, with damage on the rear of his car, re-entered the race on the tail end of the field.
On the restart, Armes held the point on the Delaware double-file restart with Cook and Bloomquist lined up side-by-side for the restart. Kevin Gibson and Randy Weaver now were in the top five after the McDowell-Pearson incident changed two spots in the running order.
There were only three green flag laps in this short run; Mike Marlar slowed in turn four with a flat tire, bringing out the second caution of the event. Armes again was held down the top spot on the restart. He held Cook at arm's length, but within ten circuits around the track, the frontrunners began to confront traffic again
At the halfway mark it was Armes still in front followed closely by Cook, Bloomquist, Weaver and Jimmy Owens who passed Gibson for fifth a few laps earlier. The third and final caution came out for a stopped David Payne in turn four with 29 laps complete; again clearing out the track in front of Armes, giving him clean air to work with.
Cook took a stab at the lead on lap 33 almost pulling even with Armes at the start-finish line, but Armes was able to hold Cook off heading into the first turn keeping his slim lead. Bloomquist was able to close on the two frontrunners making it a three-car battle for the lead.
Cook tried lap after lap to make a pass on Armes, but Armes was doing a great job of holding his line on the track as he withstood Cook's repeated challenges. But with traffic looming just ahead of Armes he not only had to worry about that, but that Cook was going to box him in behind a car they were trying to lap.
With five laps to go Cook was still all over the rear deck lid of Armes as they were trying to make their way around a lapped car. Armes tried to go low, and it looked like Cook might sweep to the outside of him and grab the lead in the waning laps, but Cook could not get enough momentum and Armes made the right move to hold Cook at bay as he took the checkered flag just ahead of the veteran driver.
In the Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the second time in his racing career; 29-year-old Armes thanked his crew and his car builder Scott Bloomquist who finished third in the race behind Armes and Cook. "The car was great all night we started on the front row of our heat and won that and on the pole of the feature, it was just flawless the whole way, I was a little nervous in traffic there a few times, but the yellow flags were pretty timely there until the end, I was hoping for a caution so I could have a clear track, but I knew he (Cook) was there and I just tried to keep my line and it paid off," said Armes who's first and Lucas Oil Series win came last year at Tazewell, TN on July 4th weekend.
Armes drives a Bloomquist Race Cars Corvette with a Clements Racing Engine under the hood and sponsored by Stowers Cat, Byrd's Radiator. MACK, East Tennessee Construction, Komatsu Equipment, Fast Lane Signs and Graphics and Renegade Racing Fuels
Cook ran second and moved up to fourth in the Lucas Oil Championship Points Standings in the D&R Racing/Hicks and Ingle General Contracting/MasterSbilt Monte Carlo SS as Bloomquist maintains the series championship points lead by finishing third in his Miller Brothers Coal/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Bloomquist Race Cars Monte Carlo SS.
Weaver in his first series start this year finished fourth in the Glenn's Auto Parts/Race Engine Design/GRT Monte Carlo SS and Owens completed the top five in the Mike Reece/Reece Monuments/Bloomquist Race Cars Ford Fusion.
Rounding out the top ten were Billy Ogle, Kevin Gibson, Tony Knowles, Skip Arp and Chris Wall.
In preliminary results, Scott Bloomquist was the fastest qualifier in the PRC Time Trials for the 49 entrants on hand with a lap of 13.791 seconds. Heat race winners were Joe Armes, Dale McDowell, Ray Cook and Earl Pearson Jr. The B-mains were taken by David Payne and Brian Hickman. Steve Casebolt was the PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race advancing 12 spots from his 25th starting spot.
Round 3 of the 2009 Summer Sizzler Tour for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will take place on Saturday Night, June 13th at the Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL paying $10,000 to win.
To find out more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Thursday Night, June 12, 2009
North Georgia Speedway - Chatsworth, GA
PRC Fast Time: Scott Bloomquist/ 13.791 seconds
Hawk Brake First Heat (10 Laps-Top 4 Advance): Joe Armes, Chris Wall, Jimmy Owens, Skip Arp, Tommy Kerr, Freddy Smith, Eric Jacobsen, Wendell Wallace, Lee Sutton, Rick Rogers, Michael Walker, Todd Murphy, Matt Helbing
Hawk Brake Second Heat (10 Laps-Top 4 Advance): Dale McDowell, Randy Weaver, Mike Marlar, Billy Ogle, David Payne, Terry Phillips, Josh McGuire, Jake Knowles, Bobby Giffin, Robert Gant, Davy Davis, Buster Goss
AFCO Racing Products Third Heat (10 Laps-Top 4 Advance): Ray Cook, Scott Bloomquist, John Blankenship, Tony Knowles, Brandon Kinzer, Don O'Neal, Derek Ellis, Todd Morrow, Jeremy Payne, David Breazeale, Gary McPherson, Jerry Bradley
Tiger Rear Ends Fourth Heat (10 Laps-Top 4 Advance): Earl Pearson Jr., Kevin Gibson, Shane Clanton, Eric Wells, Brian Hickman, Clint Smith, Steve Casebolt, Dan Schlieper, Bub McCool, John Owenby, Brad Neat, Chad Ogle
Mason Racin' Rebel Shock Dyno First B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): David Payne, Tommy Kerr, Terry Phillips, Josh McGuire, Freddy Smith, Jake Knowles, Eric Jacobsen, Wendell Wallace, Bobby Giffin, Lee Sutton, Robert Gant, Michael Walker, Ricky Rogers, Davy Davis, Buster Goss, Todd Murphy
Wiles Drive Shafts Second B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Brian Hickman, Brandon Kinzer, Clint Smith, Dan Schlieper, Derek Ellis, Steve Casebolt, Don O'Neal, Brad Neat, Bub McCool, Jeremy Payne, David Breazeale, Gary McPherson, Jerry Bradley, Matt Helbing, Todd Morrow, John Owenby-DNS, Chad Ogle-DNS
Feature Finish (50 Laps): Joe Armes, Ray Cook, Scott Bloomquist, Randy Weaver, Jimmy Owens, Billy Ogle, Kevin Gibson, Tony Knowles, Skip Arp, Chris Wall, John Blankenship, Brandon Kinzer, Steve Casebolt, Eric Wells, Clint Smith, Tommy Kerr, Brad Neat, Dan Schlieper, Earl Pearson Jr., Don O'Neal, David Payne, Brian Hickman, Terry Phillips, Mike Marlar, Dale McDowell
Finish (Start) Car Number Driver Name
1. (1) #77 Joe Armes
2. (2) #53 Ray Cook
3. (6) #0 Scott Bloomquist
4. (7) #116 Randy Weaver
5. (9) #20 Jimmy Owens
6. (15) #201 Billy Ogle
7. (8) #M45 Kevin Gibson
8. (12) #26 Tony Knowles
9. (13) #31 Skip Arp
10. (5) #71W Chris Wall
11. (10) #23 John Blankenship
12. (18) #18K Brandon Kinzer
13. (24) #C9 Steve Casebolt
14. (14) #18E Eric Wells
15. (20) #44c Clint Smith
16. (19) #4T Tommy Kerr
17. (22) #41N Brad Neat
18. (25) #s9 Dan Schlieper
19. (4) #44 Earl Pearson Jr.
20. (23) #71 Don O'Neal
21. (17) #8 David Payne
22. (16) #H41 Brian Hickman
23. (21) #75P Terry Phillips
24. (11) #157 Mike Marlar
25. (3) #17M Dale McDowell
Race Statistics
Entries: 49
Caution Flags: Earl Pearson Jr. and Dale McDowell (Lap 13); Mike Marlar (Lap 16); David Payne (Lap 29)
Lap Leaders: Joe Armes (1-50)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Don O'Neal and Brad Neat
Emergency Provisional: Steve Casebolt
PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race: Steve Casebolt
Allstar Performance Performer of the Race: Ray Cook
K&N Filters Clean Pass of the Race: Randy Weaver
Quarter Master Rookie of the Race: John Blankenship
Comp Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing Engines
Time of the Race: 32 minutes
2009 Championship Points Standings
1. Scott Bloomquist (Mooresburg, TN) 2510
2. Jimmy Owens (Newport, TN) 2260
3. Earl Pearson Jr. (Jacksonville, FL) 2235
4. Ray Cook (Brasstown, NC) 2180
5. Dale McDowell (Chickamauga, GA) 2145
6. Don O'Neal (Martinsville, IN) 2095
7. Steve Casebolt (Richmond, IN) 2025
8. Brad Neat (Dunnville, KY) 2010
9. Josh McGuire (Grayson, KY) 1895
10. Eric Jacobsen (Seacliffe Beach, CA) 1850
11. John Blankenship (Williamson, WV) 1820
12. Billy Moyer (Batesville, AR) 1810
13. Scott James (Lawrenceburg, IN) 1745
14. Dan Schlieper (Sullivan, WI) 1700
15. Jeep VanWormer (Pinnconning, MI) 1590
16. David Breazeale (Four Corners, MS) 1565
17. Freddy Smith (Seymour, TN) 1495
19. Michael Walker (Franklin, TN) 1190
2009 Quarter Master Rookie of the Year Points Standings
1. John Blankenship (Williamson, WV) 1820
2. Jeep VanWormer (Pinnconning, MI) 1590
3. David Breazeale (Four Corners, MS) 1565
4. Michael Walker (Franklin, TN) 1190
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