The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

National Late Model Sportsman Series Report and Results: Lake City, FL

30 September 1997

Lake City, FL - The National Late Model Sportsman Series made their annual trek to Lake City, Florida for the Gaylon Roberts Memorial 50 on the semibanked 1/2 mile asphalt of Columbia Motorsports Park. It took an Emergency call and a substitute driver to bring home the win , but when the checkered flag flew it was Joe Kump's #721 Koury/Kar House/A-1 Specialty Chevrolet that took the win, piloted by Tuck Trentham of Deland, FL. Kump made the trip from Hollywood, Fl to the race, but when rain delayed proceedings for 24 hours, he received an emergency call that meant he had to return to South Florida. A quick call to Trentham,. a past winner on the Southern Dirt Tour, and Trentham took over the car. After Qualifying in fifth spot, Trentham bided his time before taking the lead midway through the race and then holding off the challenge of young Chris Usry to take the win.

There were 27 cars on hand for the unusual show of dirt Late models racing on an asphalt track and practice was very interesting as the drivers find to find the handle on this strange surface. By the time the cars rolled out for Qualifying, most had a pretty good idea of the set-up and the times were extremely close with just 1.7 seconds separating the entire field. Fast time was set by 1996 NLMS Champion Ivedent Lloyd in his Koury, Gary Johns Chevrolet at 17.292 seconds for an average speed of 104.094 mph. Lloyd, Billy Godowns Jr, and Usry would win their respective heats to take the top three positions on the start of the race.

Godowns used his outside row one starting spot to get a good jump at the start and lead the field into turn one. Unfortunately, the middle of the pack got all tangled up going through turns one and two with the result that a number of cars spun out and the race was forced to be restarted. Godowns again got the jump on the restart and led Lloyd, Lawton Minchew, Usry and Trentham as the first lap was completed.

On lap 5 Chuck Cumby slid high in turn two losing a couple of spots while Everett Phillips, sent to the rear in the first lap melee, began to work his way back towards the front as he slipped under Cary Corbin. Eddie Gainey, forced to start scratch on the field when he had to change a motor, passed 6 cars in six laps and was coming to the front in a hurry.

By the tenth lap Lloyd had closed right up on Godowns and was looking for a way around the Wynn's/Walter Newman/Godowns farm/Henderson Chevrolet Camaro. Usry led Trentham to the low side as they both got under Minchew in turns one and two while Skip Pannell and Cecil Eunice had hooked up together in their own battle just behind the leaders. By lap fifteen it was still Godowns in the lead, Lloyd second followed by Usry, Trentham, Minchew, Pannell, Eunice, Tracy Walden, Johnny Lieupo and Rance Phillips.

On lap 19 Lloyd drove hard into turn three and got under Godowns to take the lead and quickly opened up a two car length lead. Usry and Trentham were able to get past Godowns the next lap as the Louisville, GA driver suffered from a brake problem. On lap 21 Trentham went to the high side of Usry and made the car stick as he took over second place, and was soon on the rear spoiler of Lloyd. Lap 22 saw the lead change again as Trentham went low in three and took the lead from Lloyd. Usry made the same move as the cars went through turn two on the next lap and remained just a car length behind Trentham as they roared down the back straight.

At the halfway point of the 50 lap affair Trentham held a three car length lead over Usry, who was making his first ever appearance on asphalt, with Lloyd third Minchew fourth and Godowns in fifth. Slowly Trentham began to expand the lead until lap 32 when the first, and only, caution of the race flew for a spin by Walden.

Usry refused to let Trentham get away on the restart, remaining glued to his rear bumper and looking to the inside for a way around. The horsepower of the Graham & McTier/Walter Newman/Washington Wood/Pilgrim and Son Ford was obviously a bit better than Trentham had, but although Usry managed on several occasions to get his nose inside the left rear fender of Trentham, he had to back out each time as the dove into the corners.

Back in the pack, "The Lumberjack", Wendell Durrance had decided it was time to make a move and he began chopping down cars like the were trees in a tightly packed forest. Within two laps he moved from 14th to tenth and then on lap 40 he went inside Gainey and outside Steve Jones to pull into eighth spot. Gainey quickly made a move to the inside when Durrance went a little too hard into the corner and retook eighth and then All three of the cars fighting for the spot were able to file under Pannell on lap 44. Durrance Made another pass of Gainey, this time bringing Jones with him as they moved into seventh. Although Durrance took off and ran down the sixth place car of Godowns, he never had an opportunity to challenge for the spot as the Checkered flag flew. Trentham was able to handle Usry's challenges to take the win, while Lloyd took third with Minchew and Rance Phillips rounding out the top five.

The Southern Dirt Tour returns to more familiar ground for their next race as they tackle Ogelthorpe Raceway Park in Savannah, Georgia on October 10th and 11th.


Columbia Motorsports Pk - NLMS - Qualifying results for the National
Late Model Sportsman Series, Gaylon Roberts memorial 50:
          
Ps.No.  Driver , Car                                          Lap Time M.P.H.
-- ---- ----------------------------------------------------- -------- -------
 1  21  Ivedent Lloyd Jr Snow Bros/Larry Moore           Chev 0:17.292 104.094
 2  20  Billy Godowns Jr Godowns Farm/Henderson Chev     Chev 0:17.336 103.830
 3   2  Tracy Walden    Infiltrator Systems Inc          Chev 0:17.367 103.645
 4  23  Lawton Minchew  Sunridge ferneries/Kar House     Chev 0:17.429 103.276
 5 721  Tuck Trentham   A-1 Specialty/Car House          Chev 0:17.488 102.928
 6  12  Chris Usry      Washington Wood/Robinson Trking  Ford 0:17.522 102.728
 7 P21  Larry Perry Jr  Snow Bros/Reeves RPM/SMC TruckingChev 0:17.550 102.564
 8  83  Lee Faulk       Jerry Barnes Pine Straw          Chev 0:17.602 102.261
 9  46  Everett Phillips Everett's Custom Services       Chev 0:17.629 102.104
10   3x Skip Pannell    Seabolt & Leslie Dyno/Hollywood  Chev 0:17.643 102.023
11  28  Henry Carter Jr Mimbs Farms/Sweats Port Build    Chev 0:17.676 101.833
12 112  Johnny Lieupo   Lieupo Motorsports               Chev 0:17.705 101.666
13  27x Rance Phillips  Bass Auto/Steedley Racing        Chev 0:17.716 101.603
14  22  Cecil Eunice    Norman Pontiac/Ace Pole          Chev 0:17.763 101.334
15  88c Chuck Cumby     Cumby Motorsports                Chev 0:18.042  99.767
16   0  Steve Jones     Quality Saw Works/Beardon Oil    Chev 0:18.067  99.629
17  15  Mike Becton     J7M Diesel Repair                Chev 0:18.146  99.195
18 X15  Jeff Jacobs     Crazy J's Auto Sales             Ford 0:18.199  98.907
19  32  Wendell Durrance Bills Timber/Bennett Bros Motor Chev 0:18.258  98.587
20  27  Cary Corbin     Robert Cates Body/T&E Trucking   Chev 0:18.366  98.007
21 201  Gene Maine      Ives Racing/Russell Brown Racing Chev 0:18.991  94.782
22   1d Dennis Morris   Lakeside Water/Hydraulic Supply  Chev 0:18.902  95.228
23   4  Jeff Prescott   Capt Dave's Seafood/Discount AutoChev 0:18.902  95.228
24   5  Jerry Parnell   JCP Engineering                  Chev 0:20.967  85.849
25  66  Chuck Chitty    C&C Powerline/J&W Engine Serv    Chev DQ - WT    0.000
26 114  Jeff Gordon     RV Specialties                   Chev  No Time   0.000
27  17  Eddie Gainey    Snow Bros/VP Racing Fuel         Chev  No Time   0.000
     
Track Length      :  0.5000 Miles




Columbia Motorsports Pk - NLMS - Provisional results for the 
National Late Model Sportsman Series, 
Gaylon Roberts Memorial 50:
          
Ps.Ql.No.  Driver , Car                                          Laps  
-- -- ---- ----------------------------------------------------- ----- 
 1  5 721  Tuck Trentham   A-1 Specialty/Car House          Chev  50       
 2  6  12  Chris Usry      Washington Wood/Robinson Trking  Ford  50       
 3  1  21  Ivedent Lloyd Jr Snow Bros/Larry Moore           Chev  50       
 4  4  23  Lawton Minchew  Sunridge ferneries/Kar House     Chev  50       
 5 13  27x Rance Phillips  Bass Auto/Steedley Racing        Chev  50       
 6  2  20  Billy Godowns Jr Godowns Farm/Henderson Chev     Chev  50       
 7 19  32  Wendell Durrance Bills Timber/Bennett Bros Motor Chev  50       
 8 12 112  Johnny Lieupo   Lieupo Motorsports               Chev  50       
 9 16   0  Steve Jones     Quality Saw Works/Beardon Oil    Chev  50       
10 27  17  Eddie Gainey    Snow Bros/VP Racing Fuel         Chev  50       
11 10   3x Skip Pannell    Seabolt & Leslie Dyno/Hollywood  Chev  50       
12  7 P21  Larry Perry Jr  Snow Bros/Reeves RPM/SMC TruckingChev  50       
13 14  22  Cecil Eunice    Norman Pontiac/Ace Pole          Chev  50       
14  3   2  Tracy Walden    Infiltrator Systems Inc          Chev  50       
15 21 201  Gene Maine      Ives Racing/Russell Brown Racing Chev  49       
16  9  46  Everett Phillips Everett's Custom Services       Chev  48       
17 20  27  Cary Corbin     Robert Cates Body/T&E Trucking   Chev  48       
18 11  28  Henry Carter Jr Mimbs Farms/Sweats Port Build    Chev  48       
19 22   1d Dennis Morris   Lakeside Water/Hydraulic Supply  Chev  47       
20 23   4  Jeff Prescott   Capt Dave's Seafood/Discount AutoChev  45       
21 15  88c Chuck Cumby     Cumby Motorsports                Chev  30       
22 24   5  Jerry Parnell   JCP Engineering                  Chev  28       
23 18 X15  Jeff Jacobs     Crazy J's Auto Sales             Ford  19       
24  8  83  Lee Faulk       Jerry Barnes Pine Straw          Chev  18       
25 25  66  Chuck Chitty    C&C Powerline/J&W Engine Serv    Chev   4       
26 17  15  Mike Becton     J7M Diesel Repair                Chev   0       
  
    
Track Length      :  0.5000 Miles
John Kaiser