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PENNINGTON THANKFUL FOR COCHRAN CHEVY SUPER SERIES WIN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
COCHRAN, GA – Second-generation driver Travis Pennington of Stapleton, GA made a statement Saturday night with a convincing Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series win at Cochran Motor Speedway. But in Victory Lane, the son of National Dirt Late Model Inductee Jack Pennington wanted to talk first about the fans that came out to the race.
“First of all, I want to thank these fans for coming out tonight because the weather wasn’t looking good, but track owner Chris Martin stuck it out, he didn’t call it, and not many promoters would have done that,” Pennington said. “This car tonight was perfect. I know we didn’t get the pole, but I knew we had a good car, and if we could get to the front, we could check out on them.”
Just as the gates opened at 5 p.m., a heavy thunderstorm over Cochran Motor Speedway put the race in doubt, but as Pennington said, Track Owner/Promoter Chris Martin and his crew stuck it out, went to work on the track, and it was ready for racing by 8 p.m.
Pennington took the lead from the outside front row starting spot, and passed polesitter Clay Harris of Jupiter, FL coming off the second turn on the first lap, and pulled away. Pennington talked about checking out on the field, and that he did early and often, at times enjoying a full straightaway lead. The only thing that could close the leading gap was three caution flags.
After each Dixie-Style Double-File Restart, Pennington was able to stretch out to a comfortable lead in his U.S. Duffie Site Prep Longhorn and lead all 50 laps of the race. Those three double-file restarts did produce a good battle for second behind Pennington between two-time series champion and point-leader Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN and Harris.
Johnson padded his point lead with a second-place finish in the Josh Roberts Trucking Special, and Harris settled for third in the Griffin Automotive Rocket. Zach Pilcher of Rome, GA took the fourth spot in the Avery Drugs/Healthmart Special, and Jake Knowles of Rome, GA was fifth in the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Special.
Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL drove the Skinner’s Body Shop Special to a sixth-place finish to give the 16-year-old driver the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race honors. Oliver Gentry of Newnan, GA received an extra $50 with the Mudd Sauce Seventh-Place Award driving the Gentry’s Used Auto Parts and Recycling CVR.
Joseph Brown of Columbus, GA was the Hard Charger of the Race coming from 17th at the start to finish eighth in the Lewis Auto Sales Special. Landon Bagby of Winston, GA finished ninth in the Neighborhood Auto Center Rocket, and Dalton Polston of Lithia Springs, GA rounded out the top ten in the Street Side Classic Cars GRT.
In preliminary action, Harris received a $200 Bonus as the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies/Helbing Brown Concrete Construction Fast Qualifier. Harris toured Cochran Motor Speedway for the fastest lap time of 14.088 seconds.
Pennington took the lead at the start of the race followed by Harris, Johnson, Pilcher and Chase King of Seymour, TN in the Stinger Race Cars By KCW Special. Dale Thurman of Cartersville, GA drove his Thurman Mechanical Special passed King for the fifth spot in lap two. The first caution flag came out on lap five when Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA spun the Scotty’s Muffler Special in turn four.
Pennington had Harris, Johnson, Pilcher, Thurman, Knowles, Bagby, Gentry, King, and Skinner doubled up behind him for the restart. Johnson beat Harris into the first turn on the restart to take over the second spot.
Knowles was able to drive around the outside of Pilcher on the front straightaway to claim the fourth spot. Pilcher returned the move on lap eight to retake the fourth position. Barry Goodman of Spring City, TN in the Charlie’s Used Auto Parts Rocket and Nipper got together in turn four to bring out the second caution flag on lap ten.
After the field went back to green flag action, Knowles got by Pilcher for fourth on the restart, and Harris passed Johnson for second on lap 11. By lap 15, Pennington had opened up a full straightaway lead on the field. Nipper was involved in a caution flag coming out for the third and final time on lap 17 when he slowed on the front straightaway.
The final double-file restart had Pennington leading with Harris, Johnson, Knowles, Pilcher, Gentry, Brown, Bagby, Skinner, and Thurman doubled up behind him. Johnson took over the second spot by getting by Harris on the restart. Pilcher dove under Knowles in lapped traffic on lap 19 to take over the fourth spot.
Pennington held a half-straightaway lead over Johnson at the halfway point, and three laps later, the race leader began to encounter lapped traffic, giving “The Chattanooga Flash” an opportunity to close the gap. Johnson was able to close to within about ten car-lengths, but Pennington got the breaks in traffic to take a 1.617 second margin of victory under the checkered flag.
The next stop for the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series will be a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race on Friday night, August 31 at Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, GA to open a three-race Labor Day Weekend.
Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, GA will host the Chevy Super Series on Saturday night, September 1 with a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race, and then it’s on to finish the holiday weekend at Rome Speedway in Rome, GA on Sunday night, September 2 with a $3,000-to-win 50-lap race.
For more information about the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.525superseries.com, or visit the series on Facebook at Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series.
OFFICIAL RESULT OF ROUND 4 AT COCHRAN MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN COCHRAN, GA ON 8/18/18:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 01 Travis Pennington Stapleton, GA 50 $3,000
2. 3 85 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $1,500
3. 1 6 Clay Harris Jupiter, FL 50 $1,200
4. 5 87 Zach Pilcher Rome, GA 50 $850
5. 8 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA 50 $750
6. 10 11 Cruz Skinner (R) Oxford, AL 50 $700
7. 6 03 Oliver Gentry Newnan, GA 50 $700
8. 17 92 Joseph Brown (R) Columbus, GA 50 $600
9. 11 19 Landon Bagby Winston, GA 50 $550
10. 13 00 Dalton Polston (R) Lithia Springs, GA 49 $500
11. 4 44 Chase King (R) Seymour, TN 49 $475
12. 15 34 Chad Wallace LaGrange, GA 49 $450
13. 9 59 Dale Thurman (R) Cartersville, GA 48 $425
14. 12 17 Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 47 $400
15. 7 24 Barry Goodman Spring City, TN 27 $375
16. 14 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 16 $350
17. 16 35 Scott Hall Rome, GA DNS $100
18 18 00h Wil Herrington Cochran, GA DNS $100
ENTRIES: 18
KNOWLES RACE PARTS/HELBING BROWN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION $200 FAST QUALIFIER: Harris, 14.088 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Pennington, 1-50
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SMOOTH MOVE OF THE RACE: Brown
MUDD SAUCE $50 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Gentry
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Skinner
HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Brown (started 17th and finished 8th)
CAUTIONS: 3
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.617 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 25 Minutes and 53.654 Seconds
NEXT RACE: 8/31/18 BOYD’S SPEEDWAY, RINGGOLD, GA $2,000-TO-WIN, 40-LAPS
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