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DIXON DAZZLES TO EAST BAY CRATE RACIN’ USA WINTER SHOOTOUT WIN
TAMPA, FL – Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL won a thrilling 50-lap Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series Winter Shootout race on Saturday night as a part of the 44th Annual East Bay Raceway Park Winternationals. Dixon led early and late driving the CURS Capital Race Car to the $5,000 victory in a race that saw five lead changes.
Dixon battled throughout the race with Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL in the Bud Coley Trucking Barry Wright and Max Blair of Centerville, PA in the Murphy Logging Rocket, who all took turns leading the race. Dixon dusted off the top shelf in the second half of the race and sailed to a full straightaway margin of victory after leading a total of 27 laps.
“The track was great tonight and we could race all over the place, but I finally settled for the top groove and hoped I didn’t jump the cushion and get into the wall,” Dixon said. “I’ve got a lot of people to thank for this win tonight, especially my car owner Jeff Mathews for letting drive this car this weekend.”
Shaw led the race for 21 laps, but had to settle for second, and Blair led two laps and finished third. Travis Varnadore of Plant City, FL drove the Varnadore Racing Barry Wright to a fourth-place finish and Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL was fifth in the Adams Used Auto Parts Rocket.
Drew Kennedy of Lancing, TN started 16th in the Schubert Monument Sales Rocket and finished sixth to earn the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Hard Charger of the Race Award. Dixon’s teammate and car owner Jeff Mathews of Brandon, FL took the seventh spot in the CURS Rocket.
Bruce Harvey of Plant City, FL was eighth in the Fat Daddy Rocket and Joseph Joiner of Milton, FL finished ninth in the Hunt The Front Capital. Clay Harris of Jupiter, FL rounded out the top ten in the Dunnrite Construction Rocket.
In preliminary action, Mathews out-timed the 47-car field in Group Qualifying with a lap around the 1/3-mile Clay By The Bay in 15.428 seconds. The four ten-lap KRC Power Steering Heat Races were won by Dixon, Blair, Harvey and Shaw. The two 12-lap B-Main Races were won by Harris and Todd Cooney of Pleasant Hill, IA in the Spangler Automotive Mastersbilt.
When Honorary Starter 80-year-old Ronnie Luckock began the race waving the green flag with the Luckock Shuffle, Dixon came from the third starting spot to take the lead followed by Shaw, Nosbisch, Walker Arthur of Forest, VA in the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Kryptonite and Blair. Shaw moved up to battle Dixon side-by-side for the lead on lap six.
Shaw got a run on Dixon going down the backstretch on lap seven and took the lead going into turn three. By lap nine, Shaw had pulled out to a five car-length lead over Dixon. Shaw and Dixon caught the cars on the tail of the lead lap by lap ten. Steve Mathis of Plant City, FL brought out the first of five caution flags when he stalled the ATP Trucking Barry Wright in turn three.
Behind Shaw, Dixon, Nosbisch, Arthur, Blair, Joiner, Harvey, Freddie Carpenter of Parkersburg, WV in the Nevin Gainey Race Cars Kryptonite, Bo Slay of Milton, FL in the Slay’s Mobile Home Service Longhorn and Pierce McCarter of Gatlinburg, TN in the Parkway Liquor Store Longhorn doubled up for the Dixie-Style Double-File Restart.
When the field went back to green flag action, there were wholesale position changes. Dixon passed Shaw for the lead after the restart in turn one, and Blair moved up to the third spot as was on the move. Blair got by Shaw for the second spot on lap 17 in turn two, and then got inside Dixon on lap 18 to take the lead going down the backstretch.
Carpenter spun in turn two on lap 20 to light up the yellow caution bulb for the second time in the race. Blair led Dixon, Shaw, Nosbisch, Arthur, Joiner, Harvey, Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL in the Skinner’s Body Shop Rocket, Slay and Varnadore down for the restart.
Blair slid up the banking in turn one and Shaw took the lead. Blair recovered to settle into second while Dixon and Arthur battled side-by-side for third. The third caution flag of the race came out on lap 27 when Randy Weaver of Crossville, TN stalled the B&M Concrete CVR in turn four.
The top ten for the restart was Shaw, Blair, Arthur, Dixon, Harris, Nosbisch, Varnadore, Joiner, Kennedy, and McCarter. Joiner spun while running eighth to bring out the fourth caution flag. Shaw led Blair, Arthur, Dixon, Harris, Nosbisch, Harvey, Kennedy, Hunter Sweet of Lake City, FL in the Roundtree Ford Kryptonite, and Varnadore down for the restart.
Dixon dusted off the top shelf of East Bay Raceway Park and ran the high groove against the wall while battling Arthur for the third spot. Nosbisch got by Harris of fifth on the restart. Arthur brought out the final caution flag with a spin in turn one while running fourth.
Business picked up on the restart, as Shaw, Dixon and Blair went into turn one three-wide. Dixon sailed round the outside of Blair and Shaw to take the lead, and Blair got underneath Shaw for second. Shaw got back around Blair for second on lap 34, but by then, Dixon had packed his bags, turned in the key and checked out on the field.
Dixon caught some lapped traffic by lap 39, but he cut through the lapped cars like a hot knife through butter. Dixon had some near misses threading the needle through lapped traffic, but the bold moves kept Shaw and Blair a full straightaway behind him during the last ten laps of the race.
The final Winter Shootout Race for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series will be a $5,000-to-win 60-lap event on March 15 at Cochran Motor Speedway in Cochran, GA. McCarter holds a two point lead over Skinner going into the Winter Shootout finale.
For more information and rules about the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site atwww.crateracinusa.com, or visit the series on Facebook at Durrence Layne Racing. You can follow us on Twitter @DurrenceLayneRacing.
OFFICIAL FINISH OF WINTER SHOOTOUT SERIES ROUND 6 AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 2/1/2020:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN
1. 3 313 Devin Dixon Apollo Beach, FL
2. 1 38 Jeremy Shaw Millport, AL
3. 4 111 Max Blair Centerville, Al
4. 8 41v Travis Varnadore Plant City, FL
5. 5 02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico, FL
6. 16 K37 Drew Kennedy Lancing, TN
7. 9 33 Jeff Mathews Brandon, FL
8. 2 27 Bruce Harvey Plant City, FL
9. 13 10 Joseph Joiner Milton, FL
10. 18 6 Clay Harris Jupiter, FL
11. 21 15 Hunter Sweet Lake City, FL
12. 10 17c Freddy Carpenter Parkersburg, WV
13. 12 95 Steve Mathis Jr. Plant City
14. 23 11 Cruz Skinner Oxford, AL
15. 22 17 Nevin Gainey Fort White, FL
16. 15 71 Pierce McCarter Gatlinburg, TN
17. 11 2 Bo Slay Milton, FL
18. 20 41 Jim Couch Hamilton, OH
19. 24 66k Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA
20. 17 30 Todd Cooney Mount Pleasant, IA
21. 19 29 Daniel Woody Plant City, FL
22. 7 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA
23. 6 116 Randy Weaver Crossville, TN
24. 14 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA
ENTRIES: 47
FAST QUALIFIER: Mathews, 15,428 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Skinner and Jo. Knowles
LEAD CHANGES: 5 Among 3 Drivers
LAP LEADERS: Dixon, 1-6; Shaw, 7-15; Dixon, 16-17; Blair, 18-19; Shaw, 20-31; Dixon, 32-50
LAPS LED: Dixon, 27; Shaw, 21; Blair, 2
KNOWLES RACE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Kennedy (started 16th and finished 6th)
KRC POWER STEERING HEAT RACE WINNERS: Dixon, Blair, Harvey, and Shaw
CAUTIONS: 5
NEXT RACE: March 15, 2020 Cochran Motor Speedway, Cochran, GA $5,000-to-win, 60-Laps
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