BRONSON CONTINUES HIS DURRENCE LAYNE LATE MODEL MASTERY OF BRP

              OCALA, FL – Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL continued his domination of Bubba Raceway Park on Thursday night by taking his third straight win on the 3/8-mile egg-shaped clay oval in the 40-lap main event in the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Winter Shootout driving the Brandon Ford Rocket. 

            Dating back to last year, Bronson won two races during World Championship Week last season, including his second straight Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race. This Saturday night, Bronson will be going for his unprecedented third straight $10,000 win in the 15th edition of the prestigious race.
           
            Bronson swept the program by taking the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Fast Time honors with a lap in 14.991 seconds to earn the pole position for the main event. Bronson then led all 40 laps in the big show to win with a 1.266 second margin of victory at the checkered flag. So did Bronson send a message to the rest of the field that he is the man to beat this week?
           
            “I don’t know if I sent a message because there are some good cars here, and there will be even more here tomorrow night and Saturday night,” Bronson said. “This is the first time we’ve run this Rocket Chassis, and it just shows what a good car can do with a good crew working on it. I think the car has more in it after we work on it some more.”
           
            Walker Arthur of Forest, VA, another former World Championship Race winner, finished second in the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Special. Arthur was also the recipient of the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award when he dodged a lapped car that slowed in front of him while battling for the second spot.
           
            Logan Roberson of Waynesboro, VA took the third spot in the BTS Towing Service Rocket, and Tyler Clem of Reddick, FL was fourth in the M&W Transport Rocket. Nick Hoffman of Mooresville, NC finished fifth in the Hatcher’s Auto Sales Rocket, and Winter Shootout defending Champion and current point leader Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, TN drove the Car Smart Auto Sales Special to a sixth-place finish.
           
            Drew Kennedy of Lancing, TN finished seventh in the Schubert Monument Sales Rocket, and Jake Knowles of Rome, GA took the eighth spot in the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Special. Todd Cooney of Pleasant, IA started 18th and finished ninth in the Spangler Automotive Special to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award
           
            David Whitener of Orange Park, FL rounded out the top ten in the Padgett Trucking Special. In other preliminary action, the two ten lap B-Main Races were won by Clem and Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, GA in the Middle Georgia Roofing CVR.
           
            Bronson took the lead on lap one coming off turn two after a three-wide battle for the lead in the first turn with outside front row starter Jenson Ford of Piney Flats, TN in the Whitehead Construction TNT, and Roberson. In turn three, Roberson drove under Ford for second, while Ford slide up the banking and jumped the cushion in turn four.
           
            That moved Arthur up to the third spot, as Ford settled back into the fourth spot, and Kennedy in fifth. Roberson closed in on Bronson, and looked inside to battle for the lead. Bronson was up to the challenge and that was as close as anyone got the Bronson in the race. Arthur moved up to look inside Roberson on lap three. The pair of Virginia drivers battle side-by-side for several laps.
           
            Bronson caught the cars on tail of the lead lap by the eighth tour, and he began to pull away from Roberson and Arthur, who continued to wage war for the second spot. Arthur had to take evasive action around a lapped car on lap nine, but held his position by a whisker. That was the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award.
           
            The lapped traffic didn’t slow Bronson down, but the first of four caution flags did on lap ten when Ben Bowie of Brandywine, MD spun his Corbin Construction Rocket in turn four. During the caution period, Ford retired from the race with a mechanical issue. That moved Clem up to the fourth spot and Hoffman restarted in the fifth position.
           
            On the restart, Adam Boyd of Riverview, FL spun the ABS Construction Special in turn two and light the yellow caution bulb for the second time. When the field went back to green, Bronson pulled away from Roberson, who was busy trying to hold off Arthur. Caution flag number three came out on lap 14 when Ken Monahan of Lakeland, FL spun the Bartow Ford Rocket in turn four.
           
            Once again, it was Bronson pulling away from Roberson and Arthur with Clem in fourth, Hoffman fifth, Elliott in sixth, Knowles in seventh, Kennedy in eighth, Whitener in ninth, and defending Bubba Raceway Park Late Model Champion Megan Rae of Tampa, FL in tenth driving the Tommy’s Towing Rocket.
           
            Clem pulled up to make it a three-car dance for the second spot by lap 16. Elliott drove around the outside of Hoffman to claim the fifth spot on lap 17, but Hoffman retook the position just a couple of laps later. At the halfway point, Bronson had stretched out to over a half straightaway lead.
           
            The fourth and final caution flag came out on lap 26 when Boyd stalled in turn two. Bronson was the leader for the Dixie-Style Double-File Restart with Roberson, Arthur, Clem, Hoffman, Elliott, Knowles, Kennedy, Whitener, and Cooney doubled up behind him. 
           
            On the restart, Bronson took off while Arthur drove around the outside of Roberson in turn one to take over the second spot. Bronson continued to drive away, and Arthur had nothing to challenge for the lead. In the closing laps of the race, Clem was able to hold off a challenge from Hoffman to keep the fourth spot.
           
            The Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will return to Bubba Raceway Park on Friday night for Round 3 of the Winter Shootout with a $2,000-to-win 40-lap main event, the final tune-up for the $10,000-to-win 100-lap 15th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race on Saturday night.
           
            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 ROUND 2 OF THE DURRENCE LAYNE CHEVROLET WINTER SHOOTOUT AT BUBBA RACEWAY PARK IN OCALA, FL ON 2/28/19:

POS      STRT   CAR #  DRIVER                            HOMETOWN                  LAPS    $ WON
1.           1            40          Kyle Bronson                   Brandon, FL                     40          $2,000
2.           4            87          Walker Arthur                Forest, VA                        40          $1,000
3.           3            17          Logan Roberson                             Waynesboro, VA             40          $700
4.           9            58          Tyler Clem                       Reddick, FL                      40          $550
5.           7            2            Nick Hoffman                  Mooresville, NC                             40          $500
6.           13          J39       Jimmy Elliott                   Cleveland, TN                  40          $425
7.           5            K37      Drew Kennedy                 Lancing, TN                     40          $375
8.           11          66          Jake Knowles                  Rome, GA                         40          $350
9.           18          30          Todd Cooney                    Pleasant, IA                      40          $325
10.         12          21          David Whitener               Orange Park, FL             40          $300
11.         16          14c        Chuck Bowie                    Welcome, MD                  40          $275
12.         6            11m      Megan Rae                       Tampa, FL                        39          $250
13.         22          27          Derrick Shaw                   Buckhannon, WV            39          $225
14.         23          311       Ken Monahan                  Lakeland, FL                   38          $200
15.         15          7a          Corey Almond                 Appomattox, VA             29          $200
16.         20          7            Shannon Davis                 Estill Springs, TN            26          $200
17.         19          6b          Adam Boyd                       Riverview, FL                  24          $200
18.         21          H2         Todd Hurst                       Lineville, AL                    23          $200
19.         17          17b       Ben Bowie                         Brandywine, MD             23          $200
20.         2            83          Jensen Ford                      Piney Flats, TN                10          $200
21.         8            6            Clay Harris                      Jupiter, FL                       10          $200
22.         24          007       Dusty Sparkman             Micanopy, FL                  7            $200
23.         14          7t          Trevor Taylor                 Zellwood, FL                    5            $200
24.         10          14          Wil Herrington               Hawkinsville, GA            1            $200

ENTRIES: 26
KNOWLES RACE PARTS AND BODIES FAST QUALIFIER: Bronson, 14.991 Seconds
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: Bronson, 1-40
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE: Arthur
HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Cooney (started 18th and finished ninth)
CAUTIONS: 4
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.266 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 33 Minutes and 42.988 Seconds
NEXT RACE: March 1, $2,000-to-win, 40 laps, Bubba Raceway Park, Ocala, FL