By Roby Helm

TAMPA, Fla. -December 14, 2006- Todd Minner of Murfreesboro, TN took the lead on lap six, and never looked back to drive the Thick and Dry Waterproofing Rocket to victory on Thursday night in the 40-lap StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series National Championship Race at East Bay Raceway Park.

Minner, representing StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series track Thunderhill Raceway in Lawrenceburg, TN, had some laps under his belt at East Bay Raceway Park in the past, but not in a dirt late model.

"I've been here many times before driving a Mod Light, but this was the first time I've been here in a late model," Minner said. "It just feels great to win against a field like this with experienced drivers because this was only my 15th-ever race in a dirt late model. My car was tight all night long, and I kept waiting for someone to get under me, but I didn't see anybody."

Minner was able to outrun one the best drivers the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series had to offer in West Region Champion and the Track Champion at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS in the Charlotte's Toy GRT.

Minner, at one point in the race, had a full straightaway lead over Keeton, who ended up the survivor in a last-lap four-wide battle for the second spot that saw only two of the four combatants make it back to the checkered flag.

Chase Washington of Columbus, MS, representing Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS, was also involved in the four-way last lap battle for second. Washington came off the fourth turn to the checkered flag side-by-side with Keeton, but fell inches short of the runner-up spot and had to settle for third after starting 11th in the Washington Racing Larry Shaw.

Early race leader Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL came back from a lap 29 pit stop to finish fourth in the Peoples Racing Stinger. Wilson, the 2006 StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region Champion and Track Champion at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL, was also the Swinging Bridge Raceway Fast Qualifier Award winner.

Wilson toured the 1/3-mile clay oval in 17.281 seconds to earn the $300 prize from Swinging Bridge Raceway Promoter, and "The Mayor" of Hog Chain, MS, Lacy Haralson, who was named the 2006 StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series Promoter of the Year at the series awards banquet on Wednesday night at the Westin Hotel in Tampa.

Don Young of Hopkinsville, KY, representing StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, TN, finished fifth in the Don Young Custom Hauling Rocket. John Pierce of Billingsley. AL, the 2006 StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region fifth-place driver and Track Champion at Childersburg Speedway in Childersburg, AL finished sixth in the MediComp Solutions Larry Shaw.

Steven Ashby of Cunningham, TN, the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series West Region sixth-place driver and the Track Champion at StormPay.com Speedway finished seventh in The Wheel Shop Stinger. Carlton Freeman of Eastaboga, AL, the 2006 StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region Runner-Up, started 16th and finished eighth in the Pate's Paint and Body Shop GRT.

The two drivers in the four-way battle for second on the last lap that didn't make it to the checkered flag finished ninth and tenth against the third turn wall with 39 laps complete.

Anthony Hill of Carrollton, GA, representing Childersburg Speedway, finished ninth in the Hill Racing Rocket, and Swinging Bridge Raceway Track Champion Landon Frith of Terry, MS rounded out the top ten in the Summerville Junkyard/WMF Racing Products Mastersbilt.

Polesitter Wilson brought the field down for the green flag, and took the lead in turn one followed by Minner, Keeton, Hill, and Zach Nichols of Cedartown, GA in the B&B Specialized Hauling/All South Racing Products GRT, representing Thunder Mountain Speedway in Fyffe, AL. Nichols was able to get around Hill for the fourth spot on lap two.

Minner was able to keep pace with Wilson for the first five laps of the race, On lap six, Wilson slipped high in turn two, and Minner dashed under him to take the lead. Wilson seemed to be having some handling difficulty, as Keeton moved up to challenge Wilson for the second spot side-by-side on lap 10.

Just as Keeton cleared Wilson for the second spot on lap 11, Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL, the sixth-place driver in the StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series East Region, spun in turn two to bring out the caution flag and negated Keeton's pass for second-place.

Minner led Wilson, Keeton, Nichols, Hill, and Frith down for the restart. Nichols seemed to have problems on the restart, as both Hill and Frith passed him to move up to fourth and fifth respectively. Minner began to open up a lead, as Wilson and Keeton resumed their classic battle for second.

What made the Wilson and Keeton battle so unique was that it marked the first time ever that these two respective StormPay.com Weekly Racing Series Regional Champions had competed against one another.

On lap 14, Keeton was able to get to the inside of Wilson in turn one, and the pair raced side-by-side until Keeton was able to clear Wilson coming off the fourth turn. The problems for Nichols continued, as he spun out on lap 15 in turn two to bring out the caution flag. Minner had a full straightaway lead erased by the caution flag.

With Minner leading Keeton, Wilson, Hill and Frith down for the restart, Wilson hit the inside dirt berm of the track with the left front corner of his car which enabled both Hill and Frith to get by. Wilson was able to recover one of those spots by passing Frith before Mitchell Browning of Buchanan, GA spun his B&B Specialized Hauling GRT in turn four on lap 19 to bring out the caution flag.

Keeton stayed with Minner on the restart, but couldn't get a good enough run on the leader to make a challenge. Young had moved up to the sixth spot for the restart, and passed Frith for fifth. Frith regrouped, and reclaimed the fifth-spot by getting around Young on lap 23.

Wilson fell off the pace on lap 29 to bring out the caution flag, and pitted with a suspension problem. His Crew Chief and Father-in-law, veteran dirt late model racer Danny Peoples, made the repairs and sent Wilson back to the track for the restart. Frith moved around Hill for the third spot when the field went back to green, as Minner pulled away from Keeton.

When the field got the five-to-go signal on lap 35, Minner had pulled out to a full straightaway lead over Keeton, who had plenty of company on his flanks from Frith, Hill, and Washington.

When the quartet battling for second came off the second turn on the final lap, Washington darted to the inside of Keeton, with Frith outside of Keeton, and Hill outside of Frith. Keeton forged ahead into the second spot going into the third turn, with Washington just a half a car-length behind him to his inside.

Washington stayed with Keeton coming off the fourth turn to the checkered flag, with Keeton having a good enough run on the outside to take second by inches. At the same time, Frith and Hill got hooked up on the outside, both cars turned right, and both nosed head-on into the third turn wall. Neither driver was injured in the crash.

Wilson was able to come back to finish fourth, followed by Young, Pierce, Ashby, and Freeman.

After the race, all of the entrants for the StormPay.com National Championship Race had their names in a drawing to have a chance to win a GM Performance 604 Crate Engine valued at $5,000 courtesy of Bill Martens of GM Performance. Tim Bland with NeSmith Chevrolet of Claxton, GA drew Steven Ashby's name out of the hat.

The East Bay Raceway Park StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series action continues Friday night with night one of the 2nd Annual StormPay.com Crate Racin' USA World Championship Race with qualifying and heat races for Saturday night's main event. The Saturday night program will consist of C-Main and B-Main races, along with the $10,000-to-win 100-lap main event.

Over 100 of the top drivers in the country, including Nextel Cup driver Ken Schrader of Fenton, MO, the 2006 StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series National Champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN, and multi-time East Bay Track Champion and StormPay.com DLMS East Bay winner Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL are expected to try and qualify for the 24-car main event on Saturday night.

East Bay Raceway Park is located five miles south of I-4 on U.S. Highway 41. For more information call 813-677-7223, or visit the track web site at www.eastbayracewaypark.com. For more information about the StormPay.com Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.stormpayracing.com.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE STORMPAY.COM WEEKLY RACING SERIES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 12/14/06:

POS STRT CAR# DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 G1 Todd Minner Murfreesboro, TN 40 $3,000
2. 3 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS 40 $1,200
3. 11 38 Chase Washington Columbus, MS 40 $800
4. 1 11 Jason Wilson Margaret, AL 40 $1,000
5. 8 41 Don Young Hopkinsville, KY 40 $600
6. 12 88 John Pierce Billingsley, AL 40 $500
7. 14 16a Steven Ashby Cunningham, TN 40 $450
8. 16 22 Carlton Freeman Eastaboga, AL 40 $400
9. 4 10 Anthony Hill Carrollton, GA 39 $350
10. 10 16 Landon Frith Terry, MS 39 $300
11. 13 47 Adam Martin Talladega, AL 36 $200
12. 15 17 Mitchell Browning Buchanan, GA 35 $180
13. 9 07e Jimmy Elkins Jr. Talladega, AL 33 $160
14. 5 12 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA 28 $140
15. 7 1t Terry Mosley Gilbertown, AL 28 $120
16. 6 07 Talbert Goldman Meridian, MS 15 $100

ENTRIES: 16
SWINGING BRIDGE RACEWAY FAST QUALIFIER: Wilson - 17.281 Seconds
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Wilson, 1-5; Minner, 6-40
LAPS LED: Minner, 35; Wilson, 5
CAUTIONS: 8
TIME OF THE RACE: 35 Minutes, 27.330 Seconds
NeSMITH CHEVROLET GM PERFORMANCE 604 CRATE ENGINE WINNER: Ashby

SWINGING BRIDGE RACEWAY QUALIFICATIONS:

POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS ENG 1ST LAP 2ND LAP TIME
1 11 Jason Wilson Margaret, AL Stinger 602 17.650 17.281 17.281
2 G1 Todd Minner Murfreesboro, TN Rocket 604 18.339 17.287 17.287
3 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS GRT 604 17.432 17.740 17.432
4 10 Anthony Hill Carrollton, GA Rocket 602 17.628 17.527 17.527
5 12 Zach Nichols Cedartown, GA GRT 604 17.783 17.620 17.620
6 07 Talbert Goldman Meridian, MS GRT 604 17.693 17.845 17.693
7 1t Terry Mosley Gilbertown, AL Trac Star 604 20.057 17.803 17.803
8 41 Don Young Hopkinsville, KY Rocket 604 17.819 18.175 17.819
9 07 Jimmy Elkins Jr. Talladega, AL Mastersbilt 604 18.786 17.984 17.984
10 16 Landon Frith Terry, MS Mastersbilt 602 18.735 18.105 18.105
11 18 Chase Washington Houlka, MS Larry Shaw 604 18.351 18.152 18.152
12 88 John Pierce Clanton, AL Larry Shaw 604 18.444 20.305 18.444
13 47 Adam Martin Talladega, AL GRT 604 18.655 18.594 18.594
14 16 Steven Ashby Cunningham, TN Stinger 604 18.729 18.611 18.611
15 17 Mitchell Browning Buchanan, GA GRT 604 19.707 18.839 18.839
16 22 Carlton Freeman Eastaboga, AL GRT 604 19.264 19.039 19.039






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