ELLIOTT BAGS THE ICE WITH DURRENCE LAYNE LATE MODEL ICE BOWL WIN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

              EASTABOGA, AL – Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, TN drove the Car Smart Auto Sales Longhorn to the biggest win of his career Sunday night, winning the 28th Annual Ice Bowl for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Talladega Short Track. Elliott took the lead on two different occasions in the 50-lap race, the final time on lap 41.

            Elliott opened up his defense of the Durrence Layne Dirt Late Model Series Winter Shootout Series, after being crowned the 2018 Champion. Elliott started third in the race and pressured polesitter Jadon Frame of Decherd, TN in the opening laps. Elliott got by Frame for the lead on lap 20, led for two laps, and then Frame reclaimed the point.
           
            Elliott caught Frame in lapped traffic late in the race, and set him up to take the lead for good with nine laps to go. Frame was able to mount another challenge for the lead with six laps to go, but had to settle for the second spot.
           
            “I tried to stay patient, save my tires, and make moves when I knew I had a good chance to take the lead,” Elliott said. “I saw that he was starting to push in the corners late in the race, so when my passing lane opened up, I wanted to be in the right place at the right time. This is a great win for our team and I’m looking forward to running to defend my Winter Shootout title.”
           
            Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL finished third in the Skinner’s Body Shop Rocket, and Shannon Davis of Estill Springs, TN took the fourth spot in the Scott’s Rods Racing Rocket. Corey Posey was fifth and Braden Mitchell of Russellville, AL drove the Sparks Energy Rocket to a sixth-place finish.
           
            Chase Walls of Decherd, TN finished seventh in the Michael Barnes Performance Special to earn the Fullmoon Graphics Lucky 7 Award, and Steve Russell of Pontotoc, MS took the eighth spot in the Steele’s Dive Special. Three-time Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN was ninth in the Martin’s Towing Service Special, and Heath Carr of Ashland, AL rounded out the top ten in the Carr Logging Special.
           
            In preliminary action, Frame was the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Fast Qualifier among the 49 entrants with a lap around the Hornet’s Nest on Saturday in 14.856 seconds. The four ten-lap Heat Race winners on Saturday night were Frame, Posey, Elliott, and Skinner. The two 12-lap B-Main Race winners on Sunday were Adam Gauldin of Talladega, AL in the Adam Gauldin Racing Rocket and Mike Combs of Odenville, AL in the Legacy Environmental Process Rocket. 
           
            Frame took the lead at the start of the race followed by Elliott, Posey, Skinner and Mitchell. Skinner was on the move early in the race, as he passed Posey for third and worked the inside groove to challenge Elliott for second. Mitchell was able to pass Posey for fourth on lap three.
           
            The first of four caution flags came out on lap five when Clayton Turner spun in turn two. Frame lined up for the Dixie-Style double-File Restart with Skinner, Elliott, Mitchell, Davis, Tyler Hurst of Lineville, AL, Johnson, Russell, Carr and Brandon Williams of Crossville, TN doubled up behind him in second through tenth respectively.
           
            When the green flag came back out, Elliott got by Skinner to take over the second spot. Another double-file restart was set up after T.J. Brittain of Centre, AL spun the Brittain Hauling Warrior in turn four on lap seven. With Frame leading the race, Elliott and Skinner tangled on the restart, but kept going to keep the field clean and green. Hurst moved by Davis to take over the fifth spot.
           
            Frame caught the cars on the tail end of the lead lap by lap 17, and Elliott quickly moved up on the leader’s back bumper. Elliott stepped to the outside on lap 20 and drove around Frame to take the lead coming off the fourth turn.  Frame pulled the same move on Elliott coming off the fourth turn on lap 22 to retake the lead.
           
            The third caution flag of the night came out on lap 25 when D.J. Shannon stalled in turn three. Frame lined up for the restart as the leader with second through tenth respectively Elliott, Skinner, Davis, Hurst, Johnson, Posey, Mitchell, Russell, and Walls doubled up behind him. Skinner passed Elliott for second on the restart.
           
            Hurst had an issue going down the backstretch on lap 26, and was clipped by Mitchell to bring out the final caution flag of the race. Mitchell was able to continue, but Hurst was done for the night. When the green flag came out to start the second half of the race, Elliott got under Skinner to reclaim the second spot.
           
            Frame had clear race track in front of him, and he was able to open up an eight car-length advantage over Elliott. Frame enjoyed the clear sailing until lap 37 when the storm of lapped traffic loomed ahead of the leader’s path. Elliott closed the gap and began to look inside Frame on lap 40. 
           
            Elliott took the lead with an inside move on Frame on the 41st lap. Frame regrouped and got alongside Elliott on lap 44. The lead duo made contact with each other, but Elliott kept the lead and took a .632 second margin of victory to the checkered flag and claimed the $3,000 winner’s check.
           
            Round 2 of the seven-race 2019 Durrence Layne Chevrolet Winter Shootout Series will be on February 15 and 16 with the $3,000-to-win WinterFest at Duck River Raceway Park in Lewisburg, TN.
           
            There were three other Durrence Layne Racing Divisions in action at the Ice Bowl and Johnson won the $2,500 top prize in the Durrence Layne Performance Parts Street Stock Division main event driving the Durrence Layne Chevrolet, Buick, GMC Camaro. It was Johnson’s first ever race in a Street Stock.
           
            Michael Page of Douglasville, GA won the $1,500 top prize with a win in the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Model Sportsman Division main event. Page drove an old race car he had sitting behind his shop, and after the win, the driver that won his third straight Ice Bowl Super Late Model crown earlier in the evening had the quote of the weekend.
           
            “This race car was so simple, but yet I may have been the best handling race car out there all weekend,” Page said. “I think I had less money in the whole suspension of my Late Model Sportsman car than I had on one corner of my super late model. We might be over engineering these super late models with bump stops and all of the other stuff we put on them.”
           
            Chris Yarbrough of Eastaboga, AL won the first ever Ice Bowl main event for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Modified Sportsman Division. The victory was worth $1,000 to Yarbrough driving the Bodies by Kay Larry Shaw.

            For more information and rules about the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.durrencelayneracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at Durrence Layne Racing. You can follow us on Twitter @DurrenceLayneRacing.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF WINTER SHOOTOUT ROUND 1 AT TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK IN EASTABOGA, AL ON 1/6/19:

POS      STRT   CAR #  DRIVER                            HOMETOWN                  LAPS    $ WON
1.           3            J39       Jimmy Elliott                   Cleveland, TN                  50          $3,000
2.           1            J8          Jadon Frame                    Decherd, TN                     50          $1,250
3.           4            11          Cruz Skinner                   Oxford, AL                       50          $850
4.           7            7            Shannon Davis                 Estill Springs, TN            50          $700
5.           2            35          Casey Posey                                                                50          $650
6.           5            69          Braden Mitchell                             Russellville, AL               50          $550
7.           11          25          Chase Walls                     Decherd, TN                     50          $500
8.           10          72          Steve Russell                    Pontotoc, MS                   50          $450
9.           6            92          Ronnie Johnson               Chattanooga, TN            50          $400
10.         9            3            Heath Carr                       Ashland, AL                     50          $375
11.         14          95          Brandon Williams          Crossville, TN                  50          $350
12.         16          B97       Lee Burdett                      Bessemer, AL                   50          $300
13.         13          1            Bryant Marsh                  Corinth, MS                     50          $280
14.         20          14jr      Victor Turner Jr.            Pell City, AL                    50          $260
15.         18          5            Mike Combs                     Odenville, AL                   50          $250
16.         15          05          T.J. Brittain                     Centre, AL                        50          $240
17.         12          102       Clayton Turner               Harrodsburg, KY           50          $220
18.         24          97          Luke Hoffner                   Torbotville, CA               50          $200
19.         23          2w         Peyton Walker                Paducah, KY                    50          $200
20.         17          17          Adam Gauldin                 Talladega, AL                  49          $200
21.         19          07          Jimmy Elkins Jr.            Talladega, AL                  49          $200
22.         21          69h       Mike Henn                        Muscle Shoals, AL          48          $200
23.         8            21          Tyler Hurst                      Lineville, AL                    39          $200
24.         22          D22       D.J. Shannon                                                               22          $200

ENTRIES: 49
KNOWLES RACE PARTS AND BODIES FAST QUALIFIER: Frame, 14.856 Seconds
LEAD CHANGES: 3
LAP LEADERS: Frame, 1-19; Elliott, 20-21; Frame, 22-40; Elliott, 41-50
LAPS LED: Frame, 38; Elliott: 12
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Elliott
FULLMOON GRAPHICS LUCKY 7 AWARD: Walls
HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: V. Turner (started 20th and finished 14th)
CAUTIONS: 4
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .632 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 31 Minutes and 31.141 Seconds
NEXT RACE: February 15-16, $3,000-to-win, WinterFest at Duck River Raceway Park in Lewisburg, TN