Melvin Earns Pole Position For East Bay Crate Racin' USA World Champions
TAMPA, FL - Rodney Melvin of Benton, IL earned the pole position on Friday night for Saturday night's StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series $10,000-to-win 100-lap Jasper Engines Crate Racin' USA World Championship Race Presented By American Race Tire at East Bay Raceway Park.
Melvin drove his Rick's Towing Rayburn to victory in the first of six 15-lap heat races on Friday night to take the inside front row starting spot for the A-Main on Saturday night. Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN won the second heat, and will start the Goddard Performance Warrior on the outside of the front row for the A-Main.
The third and fourth heat race winners make up row two for the big show, and the fifth and sixth heat race winners will start in the third row of the main event.
Scott Sexton of Pigeon Forge, TN will start on the inside of the second row for the A-Main after winning the third heat driving the Southern Plastering and Drywall TNT. Jimmy Sharpe of Vidalia, GA won the fourth heat to start his McCurry Heating and Air Rocket from the outside of the second row for the A-Main.
NASCAR Nextel Cup star Ken Schrader of Fenton, MO drove his Federated Auto Parts Rayburn to victory in the fifth heat to start on the inside of the third row for the A-Main. Stacey Roberts of Sylvester, GA won the sixth heat in the Sunbelt Ford Barry Wright, and will start the big show on Saturday night from the outside of the third row.
The top three finishers in the six heat races determined the top 18 starting spots for Saturday night's A-Main on Friday night.
Fast qualifier John Anderson of Omaha, NE finished second in the first heat, followed by Tim Busha of Boaz, AL. Second quick qualifier Marshall Green of Woodstock, GA finished second in the second heat, with Ed Kosiski of Ralston, NE taking the third spot.
Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN transferred to the big show with a second-place finish in the third heat, with third going to Chris Mullinax of Birmingham, AL. Frank Ingram of Acworth, GA made the main event with a second-place effort in the fourth heat, followed by Mike Collins of Council Bluffs, IA.
Local favorite Devin Dixon of Riverview, FL took the second spot in the fifth heat, with Jake Knowles of Tyrone, GA finishing third. In only his second-ever night in a late model, Outlaw 4 graduate Josh Peacock of Dover, FL made the big show with a second-place finish in the sixth heat, while National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame member Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN rounded out the Elite 18 after finishing third in the sixth heat.
Anderson had an outstanding effort in qualifications, as he out-timed the 64-car field with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 16.673 seconds for an average speed of 71.973 miles per hour in the Bill Koons Motorsports Rocket. What made the effort so outstanding was that the GM 602 steel-head crate engine powered Anderson's car.
Several top name drivers are still on the outside looking in, and will have one more opportunity to make the 26-car starting field on Saturday night in one of three B-Mains. The top two finishers in each B-Main will transfer to the A-Main, and there will be one StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series provisional starter, and one East Bay Raceway Park provisional starter.
Among the drivers still trying to make the big show are Jack Pennington of Winston, GA, the fourth fastest qualifier Jeff Smith of Villanow, GA, Steve Kosiski of Papillion, NE, Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN, Mike Head of Ellenwood, GA, and the defending StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Denny Slayton of Rossville, GA.
