3/10/2019
Cochran Motor Speedway
SANDERS IS HOMETOWN HERO IN DURRENCE LAYNE WINTER SHOOTOUT FINALE
COCHRAN, GA – Tyler Sanders of Cochran, GA kept the big money at home Saturday night with a win in Night 2 of the Cochran Clash for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Cochran Motor Speedway. Sanders took the lead on the opening lap, and led all 50 tours to pick up the $3,000 top prize in the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Winter Shoot finale.
Sanders had to hold off held off a late race challenge from Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, TN, but a late-race caution flag slowed Elliott’s momentum. Sanders was able to pull away in the last nine laps of the race in the H.C. Rowland Trucking Capital, and take a .741 second margin of victory under the checkered flag and his first career Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win.
“Man this is excellent, as I never expected to win it because this weekend was my first time in a Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Model,� Sanders said. “My crew signaled to me that somebody was right on me late in the race, and I didn’t know who it was. I was just trying to take it easy, so I quit trying to save tires and went for it.�
The defending Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ashton Winger of Hampton, GA finished second in the Keyser Manufacturing Rocket for his second top three finish of the weekend.
Elliott ended up third in the Car Smart Auto Sales Special. Elliott may have lost the battle, but he won the war by picking up his second straight Durrence Layne Chevrolet Winter Shootout Series Championship.
Jake Knowles came from the tenth starting spot in the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Special and finished fourth. Knowles dusted off the top shelf of Cochran Motor Speedway and ran as high as third by lap 28. That earned the second-generation driver the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award.
Drew Kennedy of Lancing, TN was the Hard Charger of the Race after starting 12th in the Schubert Monument Sales Rocket and finishing fifth. Travis Pennington of Stapleton, GA was sixth in the U.S. Duffie Hauling Special, coming back from a mid-race pit stop to change a cut tire, and Pearson Lee Williams of Dublin, GA took the seventh spot in the Dublin Tire Special.
Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA finished eighth in the Clayton Signs Rocket, and Todd Hurst of Lineville, AL was ninth in the Hurst Construction Rocket. Joseph Brown of Columbus, GA rounded out the top ten in the Lewis Auto Sales Rocket.
In preliminary action, Jimmy Thomas of Phenix City, AL was the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Fast Qualifier for the second straight night with a lap around Cochran Motor Speedway in 15.082 seconds in the Jenwood, Inc. Special. The ten-lap B-Main Race was won by Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, GA in the Middle Georgia Roofing CVR.
Thomas led the field into the first turn from pole position to start the race, and contact was made between Thomas and the outside front row starter Winger in turn two. That opened the door for Sanders to take the lead from his fourth starting spot. Sanders led lap one followed by Winger, Thomas, Elliott, and Riley Hickman of Cleveland, TN in the Hickman Manufacturing CVR.
The first of four caution flags came out on lap four when Colby Boyett of Bainbridge, GA in the Circle B Contracting Rocket sailed off the banking in turn four. Sanders lined up for the Dixie-Style Double-File Restart with Winger, Thomas, Hickman, Elliott, Pennington, Jake Knowles, Corey Dunn of Milledgeville, GA in the Georgia Timber CVR, Brown, and Williams doubled up behind him in second through tenth respectively.
Elliott got by Hickman for fourth on the restart and Knowles moved up to the fifth spot on six. One lap later, Knowles stepped to the outside groove, and pulled even with Elliott to battle side-by-side for the fourth position.
Sanders caught the cars on the tail of the lead lap by the 15th circuit. Knowles worked his way past Elliott for fourth, and kept his momentum on the high side to move up and challenge Thomas for the third spot on lap 19. The second caution flag of the race came out on lap 22 when Hickman slowed on the speedway.
Hickman went to the pits for the night as Sanders readied for the double-file restart with Winger, Thomas, Knowles, Elliott, Dunn, Williams, Kennedy, Herrington, and Hurst doubled up behind him. When the green light came back on, Dunn went from sixth to fourth, but had Knowles on his outside battling for the position.
Dunn was done of the night on lap 26 when he headed for the pit area under green. The yellow caution bulb did refire on lap 27 when Pennington slowed on the track with a cut tire. The top ten for the double-file restart was Sanders, Winger, Thomas, Jake Knowles, Elliott, Williams, Kennedy, Jody Knowles, Herrington, and Parker Martin of McIntyre, GA in the Vaden Automotive Special.
After the restart, Jake Knowles got by Thomas for the third spot on lap 28, but the man on the move was Elliott. The Mohawk Warrior passed Thomas for fourth on lap 29, and then got by Knowles for third on lap 33. One lap later, Elliott passed Winger for second, and then took off after Sanders, who had a half straightaway lead.
Sanders caught lapped traffic on lap 37, and Elliott reeled in the leader. Elliott was running lap times a half a second faster than Sanders. Elliott was right on the leader’s back bumper, but a caution flag slowed the field when Shane Riner of Guyton, GA stalled the Lawn Products Rocket in turn two.
The double-file restart for the nine-lap dash to the finish saw Sanders leading Elliott, Winger, Jake Knowles, Kennedy, Williams, Jody Knowles, Hurst, Thomas, Pennington, and Martin down to the green flag. Winger got by Elliott to reclaim the second spot, but Sanders was pulling away. By lap 48, Sanders had an eight car-length advantage over Winger.
The next stop for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be the 2019 season opener for the National Tour with the Rumble On The Gumbo at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS on April 5 and 6. The April 5 show will be a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race, and the April 6 event will be $2,500-to-win and 50-laps.
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 FINISH OF DURRENCE LAYNE CHEVROLET WINTER SHOOTOUT SERIES ROUND 6 AT COCHRAN MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN COCHRAN, GA ON 3/9/19:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 4 21 Tyler Sanders Cochran, GA 50 $3,000
2. 2 12 Ashton Winger Senoia, GA 50 $1,250
3. 3 J39 Jimmy Elliott Cleveland, TN 50 $850
4. 10 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA 50 $700
5. 12 K37 Drew Kennedy Lancing, TN 50 $650
6. 7 01 Travis Pennington Stapleton, GA 50 $550
7. 14 121 Pearson Lee Williams Dublin, GA 50 $500
8. 9 66k Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA 50 $450
9. 15 H2 Todd Hurst Lineville, AL 50 $400
10. 8 92 Joseph Brown Columbus, GA 50 $375
11. 1 22 Jimmy Thomas Phenix City, AL 50 $350
12. 17 6jr Parker Martin McIntyre, GA 50 $300
13. 18 6 Clay Harris Jupiter, FL 50 $280
14. 13 02 Tyler Turvin Ochlocknee, GA 50 $260
15. 19 07 Cage Griffin Folkston, GA 48 $250
16. 16 6r Shane Riner Guyton, GA 38 $250
17. 11 14 Wil Herrington Hawkinsville, GA 26 $250
18. 6 21d Corey Dunn Milledgeville, GA 24 $250
19. 5 R1 Riley Hickman Cleveland, TN 20 $250
20. 20 04 Colby Boyett Bainbridge, GA 12 $250