ALL HAIL KING JEREMY III AS SHAW IS DURRENCE LAYNE DLMS KING OF THE CRATES

              TUSCUMBIA, AL – Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL came out of retirement this week as a fill-in driver, and left North Alabama Speedway on Saturday night as King Jeremy III after winning the 3rd Annual King of the Crates for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Shaw led a perfect59 of 60 laps in the Steele’s Dive Barry Wright to take the $5,000 win.

              Shaw hung up his helmet with an impressive resume of big wins two years ago to spend time with his family, work a fulltime job, and he even started college. A phone call earlier in the week from car owner Jason Steele led to Shaw standing in Victory Lane at North Alabama Speedway wearing a King’s Crown and holding a $5,000 check.

              “This is unbelievable,” Shaw said. “Jason Steele called me earlier this week to fill in for Chase Washington, who wasn’t feeling well, and I had been in retirement for a couple of years. They gave me the best handling race car I’ve ever been in, and I want to dedicate this win to Chase. This one’s for him. It’s been seven years to the day that I won another Durrence Layne $5,000-to-win race, and I guess I was thinking too much because the second-place car came up and hit me in the door. That gave me a wake-up call, so I stepped up the pace and I didn’t see them again.”

              The Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Jake Knowles of Rome, GA came up one spot short of defending his King of the Crates title. King Jake II had to settle for second in the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Special. 

              Polesitter Dustin Harris of Flintville, TN had an up and down night in the Value Cargo Vans Special. He fell back as far as sixth, but rallied late in the race to finish third. Christian Hanger of Winchester, TN started 19th in the Hanger Racing CVR, ran as high as second, and ended up fourth to earn the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Hard Charger Award.

              Jaden Frame of Decherd, TN was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race with a fifth-place finish in the Frame Racing Rocket, and Oakley Johns of Hohenwald, TN was sixth in the Johns Farms Special. Jordan Hedger of Crittenden, KY took the seventh spot in the Gat-A-Go Rental and Septic Services Special to earn the Fullmoon Graphics “Lucky 7” Award.

              Josh Putnam of Florence, AL finished eighth in the Putnam Racing Special, and Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS drove the Ellis Welding Special to a ninth-place finish. Zach Pilcher of Rome, GA rounded out the top ten in the Mathis Trailer and Equipment Sales Special.

              In preliminary action, Harris out-qualified the 37-car field in Boyd Built Fabricators Group Qualifying with a lap around North Alabama Speedway in 15.011 seconds. The four ten-lap KRC Power Steering Heat Races were won by Harris, Shaw, Knowles and Johns. The two 12-lap B-Main Races were won by Grant Garrison of Walton, KY in the Darrell Lanigan Racing Special and Mike Henn of Muscle Shoals, AL in the Cox Highway 195 Farm and Tire Supply GRT.

              Harris from the pole and the outside front row starting Shaw raced the first lap side-by-side, with Harris leading lap one followed by Shaw, Riley Hickman of Cleveland, TN in the Competition Racing Products Special, Knowles, and Frame. Shaw got the better bite on the outside of turn four on lap two, and grabbed the lead from Harris.

              The first of seven caution flags came out on lap five when Mitchell Holloway of Muscle Shoals, AL stalled the 4m Services Special on the inside of turn three. The restart saw the most serious incident of the race when several mid-pack cars tangled on the front straightaway and completely blocked it to bring out the red flag.

              No drivers were injured, and Jason Markewitz of Killen, AL came out from the bottom of the pile in the Freedom Trax Mobility Special after a wreck not of his doing. That earned Markewitz the Keyser Manufacturing Hard Luck of the Race Award.

              Shaw lined up for the Dixie-Style Double-File Restart with Harris, Hickman, Knowles, Hedger, Jake Rainey of Hiram, GA in the Wren’s Body Shop Special, Justin Maxwell of Spring Hill, TN in the Dixon Plumbing Warrior, and Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL in the Skinner’s Body Shop Special doubled up behind him in second through tenth respectively.

              Hickman got by Harris to take second on lap 11, and Shaw caught the drivers on the tail end of the lead lap by lap 11. Knowles drove under Harris for the third spot on lap 15 coming off the fourth turn. At the halfway point, Shaw led Hickman, Knowles, Harris, Frame, Johns, Skinner, Hedger, Rainey, and Hanger.

              Knowles worked to the inside of Hickman on the front straightaway to take over the second spot on lap 32. The caution flag came out on lap 35 when Rainey spun out of the ninth spot in turn four. A series of restarts on the next three consecutive laps helped Hanger march through the top ten. 

            Hanger restarted ninth, and moved up to seventh by lap 37 when Seth McCormack of Muscle Shoals, AL spun the McCormack Marine Construction Rocket in turn four to bring out the caution flag. On the next restart, Hanger drove up to the fifth spot before Maxwell brought out a caution flag with a spin in turn one.
           
            The next restart saw Hickman drift high in turn one from the third spot, and Hanger filled in the third spot. McCormack spun in turn two on lap 39 to bring out the caution flag for another restart. Knowles chose the inside and Hanger lined up on the outside from the third spot. At the drop of the green flag, Hanger was able to drive around Knowles to take second.
           
            Hanger then zeroed in on Shaw to challenge for the lead. Hanger dove for the inside of turn three on lap 45 and nailed the left side of Shaw’s car, knocking the leader sideways. Hanger lifted and Shaw was able to gather his car up to keep the lead of the race. Shaw seemed to catch another gear, and he pulled away from Hanger.
           
            Rainey brought out the caution flag for the seventh and final time on lap 47 with a spin. Shaw led the field for the restart, and Hanger chose the outside with Knowles in the third spot on the inside behind the leader. Frame, Harris, Johns, Hedger, Putnam, Ellis and Pilcher were fourth through tenth respectively.
           
            Knowles was able to take advantage of Hanger’s decision to choose the outside, as Knowles drove under Hanger to reclaim the second spot. That earned Knowles the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award. Knowles tried to chase down Shaw, but he ran out of laps. With ten laps to go, Shaw had opened up a half straightaway lead on Knowles.
           
            The next two races for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will take place at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL for NASCAR Weekend next weekend. Friday night will see a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race, and next Saturday night it’s a $2,500-to-win 50-lap race.

            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 14 AT NORTH ALABAMA SPEEDWAY IN TUSCUMBIA, AL ON 10/5/19:

POS      STRT   CAR #  DRIVER                            HOMETOWN                  $ WON
1.           2            38          Jeremy Shaw                   Millport, AL                     $5,000
2.           3            66          Jake Knowles                  Rome, GA                         $2,500
3.           1            4            Dustin Harris                   Flintville, TN                    $1,750
4.           19          29          Christian Hanger            Winchester, TN               $1,500
5.           6            J8          Jadon Frame (R)             Decherd, TN                     $1,250
6.           4            C6         Oakley Johns                   Hohenwald, TN                $1,000
7.           7            94          Jordan Hedger                Crittenden, KY                $850
8.           22          212       Josh Putnam                    Florence, AL                    $750
9.           15          73          Evan Ellis                         Plantersville, MS            $650
10.         13          87p       Zach Pilcher                     Rome, GA                         $600
11.         11          11          Cruz Skinner (R)            Oxford, AL                       $550
12.         5            R1         Riley Hickman                Cleveland, TN                  $500
13.         14          19          Marcus Minga                 Shannon, MS                    $450
14.         16          4m        Mitchell Holloway          Muscle Shoals, AL          $400
15.         9            87          Jake Rainey (R/YG)       Hiram, GA                        $380
16.         21          18          Matt Cooper                    McKenzie, TN                  $360
17.         24          17jr      Tyler Wood                      Hohenwald, TN                $340
18.         12          s4          Seth McCormack            Muscle Shoals, AL          $320
19.         8            28          Justin Maxwell                Spring Hill, TN                $300
20.         18          69          Mike Henn                        Muscle Shoals, AL          $300
21.         26          C66       Donald Johns                   Summertown, TN            $300
22.         25          05          T.J. Brittain                     Centre, AL                        $300
23.         20          64          Braden Mitchell                             Russellville, AL               $300
24.         23          14          Wil Herrington (R)        Hawkinsville, GA            $300
25.         10          1            Jason Markewitz            Killen, AL                         $300
26.         17          1            Grant Garrison               Walton, KY                      $300

ENTRIES: 37
BOYD BILT FAST QUALIFIER: Harris, 15.011 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Herrington, Wood, Brittain and D. Johns
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Harris, 1; Shaw, 2-60
LAPS LED: Shaw, 59; Harris, 1
KNOWLES RACE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Hanger (started 19th and finished 4th)
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE: Knowles
FULLMOON GRAPHICS LUCKY 7 AWARD: Hedger
KEYSER MANUFACTURING HARD LUCK AWARD: Markewitz
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Frame
KRC HEAT RACE WINNER AWARDS: Harris, Shaw, Knowles, O. Johns
CAUTIONS: 7
NEXT EVENTS: Talladega Short Track, Eastaboga, AL, $2,000-to-win, 40 Laps, October 11, $2,500-to-win, 50 Laps, October 12