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BRONSON WINS SECOND DURRENCE LAYNE DLMS SOUTHERN 100 (70)
MILTON, FL – Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL battled hard to win his second Southern 100 Trophy with the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Southern Raceway in Milton, FL on Saturday night driving the Brandon Collision Rocket. The two-day race was shortened this year to a one-day 70 lap race due to weather and electrical issues at the track.
Even with the Friday night 30 lapper off the schedule, the 70-lap $7,000-to-win race was an intense battle among the four drivers on the lead lap at the end of the race. Bronson battled early for the second spot with Mark Whitener of Middleburg, FL and then early race leader Joseph Joiner of Milton, FL before taking the lead on lap 37.
“I really think Joseph had the fastest car in the race, but in lapped traffic, he got forced down into the dirty part of the track in turn four that made his car push up the track,” Bronson said. “That opened the door for me and it was time to go. The racing was really wild and we were bouncing off each other. It was some fun racing.”
The battle with Whitener for the second spot and the pass for the lead in heavy lapped traffic earned the three-time Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race winner the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award.
Joiner finished second in the Cole Services Special, and Bo Slay of Milton, FL took the third spot in a late race charge driving the Slay’s Mobile Home Service Special. Whitener was fourth in the ULC Motorsports Special, and Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Jake Knowles of Rome, GA drove the Knowles Race Parts Special to a fifth-place finish one lap down.
Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL took the sixth spot in the Skinner’s Body Shop Rocket after starting 23rd and was the Knowles Race Parts Hard Charger of the Race, along with the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race. Oakley Johns of Hohenwald, TN finished seventh in the Johns Farms Special to earn the Fullmoon Graphics “Lucky 7” Award.
T.J. Brittain of Centre, AL was eighth driving the Brittain Hauling Warrior to take the Tire Skinz Eighth-Place Award. Tyler Wood of Hohenwald, TN finished ninth in the Johns Farms Special and Benny Boudreaux of Harvey, LA rounded out the top ten in the B4 Unlimited/Accuforce Special.
In preliminary action, Joiner was the Boyd Built Fabricators Fast Qualifier in Group Qualifying among the 33-car field with a lap around Southern Raceway in 15.466 seconds. The two 12-lap KRC Power Steering B-Main Races were won by Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, GA in the Middle Georgia Roofing CVR, and Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL in the Steele’s Dive Special.
Polesitter Joiner chose to start the race from the outside of the front row, and he bolted to the lead right out the VP Racing Lubricants Starting Box followed by Whitener, Jake Rainey of Hiram, GA, Bronson and Slay. Joiner had a two car-length lead over Whitener when the first of nine caution flags came out on lap three.
Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS in the B&M Salvage Rocket and Donald Johns of Summertown, TN tangled on the front straightaway to turn on the first caution light and bring about a Dixie-Style Double-File Restart. On the restart, Rainey spun the Wren’s Body Shop down the front stretch out of the fourth spot and collected three other cars.
The 2019 Durrence Layne Weekly Racing Series National Late Model Champion Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS retired the Billy Riels Racing Special, as did Tim Anderson of Pensacola, FL in the Wilhite Speed & Performance Rocket.
Rainey was able to continue, but had heavy damage on the left-front corner of his car. Knowles was also involved, but was able to race on. Boudreaux was ticketed with the caution flag and went to the pits for repairs, while Rainey and Knowles got their spots back for the restart. When the field went back to green flag action, Brittain and Slay battled side-by-side for the fifth spot.
Shaw brought out the next caution flag when he stopped on the high side of turn four and retired for the evening. Joiner led Whitener, and Bronson doubled up behind him for the restart. Whitener chose the outside, but it was Bronson driving under him in turn one to take the second spot. Behind Whitener, it was Rainey in fourth and Brittain in fifth.
Brittain would bring out the caution flag on lap ten with a cut tire, forcing him to the pit area. That moved Slay up to the fifth spot behind Joiner, Bronson, Whitener, and Rainey. Brittain would return for the restart on the tail end of the cars on the lead lap. Joiner led Bronson, Whitener, Rainey and Slay down for a single-file restart.
Joiner pulled out to a half straightaway lead over Bronson by lap 14, but that was negated on lap 16 when Kyle Bryant of Navarre, FL stalled the Navarre Auto Repair Special in turn four. Herrington spun in turn four on lap 17 for the next caution, and Bryant was ticketed with his second yellow flag after he stalled again in turn four on lap 18. Lap 20, another caution flag when Rainey stalled on the backstretch.
When the field went back to green, the drivers settled into a race pace with Joiner leading Bronson, Whitener, Knowles, Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL in the Panama City Cycles Rocket, Wood, Slay, the leader’s brother Jonathan Joiner of Milton, FL in the Cole Services Special, Oakley Johns, and Donald Johns in the Stewart Farms Special in the top ten.
Joiner took a four car-length advantage over Bronson into lapped traffic on lap 30. The heavier the traffic got, the closer Bronson got to the leader. At the 35 lap mark, Joiner, Bronson and Whitener had a half lap lead over the fourth-place car of Knowles. Bronson found the opening he needed on lap 37 to take the lead from Joiner.
Whitener got by Joiner for second on lap 38. Joiner regrouped to dive under Whitener to reclaim second on lap 40, and then try to drive under Bronson to challenge for the lead coming off the fourth turn. Bronson covered the bottom, while Whitener stuck the nose of his car under Joiner down the front straightaway on lap 41.
Whitener threw a slider on Joiner in turn one on lap 42 to retake the second spot. The caution flag slowed the field on lap 48 when Crane stalled in turn four. The leaders were trying to lap the sixth-place car of Wood when the caution flag came out. The red flag was displayed so crews could see if their drivers needed to replace their tear-off less helmets.
Bronson led Whitener, Joiner, Slay, Knowles and Wood as the cars on the lead lap down for the restart. Whitener slid up the banking in turn two on lap 52, and Joiner drove underneath to move back up to the second spot. Whitener reported a brake issue during the red flag period, and Slay moved up to third on lap 60, as Joiner began to close in on Bronson in heavy lapped traffic.
Slay moved up to make it a trio in the battle for the lead in lapped traffic. Bronson was trying to put lapped cars between himself and Joiner. The lapped cars went away on lap 67 when Oakley Johns spun in turn four. Bronson kept Joiner and Slay behind him in the final three laps to the finish, as Bronson took a .745 second margin of victory under the checkered flag.
The Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will close its 2019 season on November 29 and 30 with a pair of races at the Possum Town Grand Prix at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS. There will be a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race on November 29, and a $3,000-to-win 50-lap race on November 30.
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 17 AT SOUTHERN RACEWAY IN MILTON, FL ON 11/9/19:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 5 40b Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL 70 $7,000
2. 1 10 Joseph Joiner Milton, FL 70 $3,000
3. 6 2 Bo Slay Milton, FL 70 $1,750
4. 4 5 Mark Whitener Middleburg, FL 70 $1,500
5. 13 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA 69 $1,250
6. 23 11 Cruz Skinner (R) Oxford, AL 69 $1,000
7. 18 C6 Oakley Johns Hohenwald, TN 68 $850
8. 8 05 T.J. Brittain Centre, AL 67 $800
9. 14 17jr Tyler Wood Hohenwald, TN 67 $750
10. 21 99 Benny Boudreaux Harvey, LA 67 $700
11. 3 1 Bryant Marsh Corinth, MS 59 $650
12. 11 14 Wil Herrington (R) Hawkinsville, MS 52 $600
13. 10 10c Ryan Crane Panama City, FL 47 $550
14. 16 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 45 $500
15. 17 56 Jonathan Joiner Milton, FL 45 $450
16. 24 C66 Donald Johns Summertown, TN 36 $400
17. 15 24 Steven Jernigan Milton, FL 30 $375
18. 2 87 Jake Rainey (R/YG) Hiram, GA 22 $350
19. 19 79 Kyle Bryant Navarre, FL 18 $320
20. 20 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 12 $300
21. 12 38 Jeremy Shaw Millport, AL 6 $300
22. 7 25 Tyler Nicely Owensboro, KY 2 $300
23. 9 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 2 $300
24. 22 99a Tim Anderson Pensacola, FL 2 $300
ENTRIES: 33
BOYD BILT FAST QUALIFIER: Joseph Joiner, 15/466 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Skinner and D. Johns
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Joseph Joiner, 1-36; Bronson, 37-70
LAPS LED: Joseph Joiner, 36; Bronson, 34
KNOWLES RACE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Skinner (started 23rd and finished 6th)
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE: Bronson
FULLMOON GRAPHICS LUCKY 7 AWARD: O. Johns
TIRE SKINZ EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Brittain
KEYSER MANUFACTURING HARD LUCK AWARD: Anderson
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Skinner
KRC HEAT RACE WINNER AWARDS: Herrington and Shaw
CAUTIONS: 9
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .745 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 1 Hour, 1 Minute and 37.987 Seconds
NEXT EVENT: Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, MS, Possum Town Grand Prix, November 29, $2,000-to-win, 40 laps; November 30, $3,000-to-win, 50 laps
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