JOHNSON WINS STORMPAY.COM DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES EAST BAY FINALE
Roby Helm
TAMPA, FL - Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN won the 40-lap StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series 30th Annual East Bay Winternationals finale Wednesday night at East Bay Raceway Park. Johnson took the lead on lap 16 in his Miller Brothers Coal Warrior/604, and then held off Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL to take the win.
Nosbisch, who was looking for his third straight East Bay win with the StormPay Dirt Late Model Series, made several challenges for the lead, but came up one spot short and had to settle for second in the Adams Used Auto Parts Rocket/604.
"I knew Nosbisch was coming on the inside, so I knew I had to cover the bottom and not make a mistake," Johnson said. "If he was going to get by me, it was going to have to be on the outside. Winning here at East Bay means a lot to me. I won here many years ago, but at this stage in my career, this one is special."
Polesitter Phillip Cobb of Tampa, FL finished third in the Top Notch Home Repair Warrior/604. Cobb, who was celebrating his birthday on Wednesday night, got the celebration started early by winning the six-lap StormPay.com Lightning Quick 6 Dash to earn the pole position. That race was run among the top six in points earned from the first two nights of racing.
Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA came from the 12th starting spot to finish fourth in the Summerville Junkyard Mastersbilt/604. Owen Osteen of Woodruff, GA took the fifth spot in the Dustin Osteen Mastersbilt/604.
After starting 18th, Jeff Matthews of Seffner, FL charged through the field to bring the Tampa Bay Haven Rocket/604 home in the sixth position to earn the NeSmith Chevrolet Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Roger Crouse of Plant City, FL led the first 15 laps of the race, but then faded to finish seventh in the Mid Florida Tree Service Rayburn/604. Jackie Nosbisch was eighth in the Crate Mart Metals Recycling Rayburn/604.
Rusty Dixon of Riverview, FL took the ninth spot and the Kinser Air Filters Rookie of the Race honors. Jimmy Kay of Taylorsville, GA rounded out the top ten in the Ice Bowl 2007/NeSmith Chevrolet GRT/604.
Crouse took the lead at the drop of the green flag from his outside front row starting spot followed by Cobb, Johnson, Keith Nosbisch, and the defending StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Denny Slayton of Rossville, GA in the Pete Slayton Motorsports GRT/604. Osteen got around Slayton for the fifth spot on lap two.
Johnson began to put heavy pressure on Cobb for second on lap three. Cobb slipped up the banking in turn two on lap eight, and Johnson drove by to take the second spot. The Chattanooga Flash chased down Crouse when the leader encountered lapped traffic on lap 10.
A caution flag on lap 13 cooled down the battle for the lead when Dixon spun on the frontstretch with a flat right-rear tire while running seventh. Crouse led Johnson, Cobb, Keith Nosbisch, Osteen, Slayton, Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, TN, Fields, Matt Barrett of Knoxville, TN in the Tennessee Appraisal Service Warrior/604, and Jackie Nosbisch down for the restart.
Johnson immediately began to battle Crouse for the lead on the restart, while Slayton got around Osteen for the fifth spot. Johnson was able to wrestle away the inside line from Crouse on lap 16, and took the lead coming off the second turn. Fields was putting on a show, as he moved up to the sixth spot on lap 17.
The second caution flag of the race came out on lap 18 when Purvis cut down a left-rear tire on his StormPay.com Warrior/604, and Steve Mathis of Plant City, FL cut down a right-front tire on his Strawberry Palace Rayburn/604. When the field went back to green, Johnson pulled away, and Cobb got underneath Crouse for the second spot in turn two.
Slayton spun in turn two while running fifth on lap 19 to bring out caution flag number three. That moved Fields into the top five for the restart behind Johnson, Cobb, Crouse, and Keith Nosbisch. Sixth through tenth at the halfway point were Osteen, Jackie Nosbisch, Shannon Buckingham of Morristown, TN in the S&S Millwright Barry Wright/604, Matthews, and Barrett.
Keith Nosbisch and Fields drove by Crouse on the restart to take over the third and fourth spots respectively. Barrett spun out of his top ten spot in turn one of lap 20 to bring out the fourth caution flag of the race.
When the field went back to green flag action, Keith Nosbisch was in attack mode, and he passed Cobb for the second spot coming off the fourth turn. Fields drove in Nosbisch's wake, as he passed Cobb to move up to the third spot on lap 21. Keith Nosbisch turned up the wick, and caught Johnson by lap 25.
Keith Nosbisch was all over Johnson as they worked lapped traffic on lap 28. Nosbisch took several looks on the inside, but Johnson would not give him enough room to try and make a pass. The battle for the lead was slowed when the caution flag came out on lap 32 when Kenny Wallace of St. Louis, MO Stalled the StormPay.com Rayburn/604 in turn two.
For the restart, Cobb got up on the wheel and passed Fields for the third spot before the sixth caution light of the race blinked on lap 33 when Todd Alexander of Plant City, FL spun the Blue Ribbon Tomato GRT/604 in turn four.
Johnson led Keith Nosbisch, Cobb, Fields, Osteen, Jackie Nosbisch, Matthews, Crouse, Dixon, and Josh Peacock of Dover, FL in the Peacock Farms Rocket/604 down for the restart. The yellow came out for the final time in the race when Slayton spun in turn four.
Johnson was able to maintain a two to three car-length advantage over Keith Nosbisch in the last eight laps of the race. Behind the leaders, Matthews was able to get around Jackie Nosbisch for sixth, and Kay passed his way into the top ten in the closing laps of the race.
The next event for the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be a two-day $5,000-to-win show at Modoc Speedway in Modoc, SC on March 31 and April 1. For more information about the StormPay.com Dirt late Model Series visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 2/15/06:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON 1. 3 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $3,000
