TAMPA, FL – Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC shook off his bridesmaid role at East Bay Raceway Park and became a bride on Friday night by winning the 40-lap main event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series driving the AES Racing Special. After the first two races of the season, Franklin also takes over the series point lead.

After finishing second in his last two races at East Bay Raceway Park, Franklin turned in a dominating performance by taking a 1.611 second margin of victory at the checkered flag over two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN in the Eads Farms/Hardy and Associates Warrior.

Franklin took the lead from Gentry on a lap nine restart, and then led the rest of the way without a challenge for the point. After having carburetor issues the night before, but still finishing second on Thursday night, Rambo had smooth sailing 24 hours later.

“My crew found the problem we had with the carburetor last night, and the car really came to life tonight,” Franklin said. “I could drive the car where ever I needed to getting through lapped traffic. It feels good to finally make to victory lane here and I want to thank the fans for coming out tonight.”

Gentry turned in his best career performance at East Bay Raceway Park with his second-place finish while conducting R&D work for Bilstein Shocks. Gentry was testing the new $150 Bilstein Spec Shocks for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, and showed that spending less can be faster.

“We were good last night before the power steering belt came off on lap five, and Bilstein built be a new shock for tonight that made the car even better,” Gentry said. “This new $150 Bilstein Spec Shock is going to be a good thing for dirt late model racing by saving a lot of people a lot of money and still get great performance. Tonight, with these shocks, was the best I’ve ever ran here.”

Gentry was the fast qualifier among the 50 entrants with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 15.627 seconds, and he earned the pole position for the race by winning the first of four 12-lap heat races.

Franklin’s AES Racing teammate Austin Hubbard of Sanford, DE finished third and the super late model regular was impressed with the competition and the power provided by the $5,000 GM Performance 604 Crate Engine.

“These two nights here at East Bay Raceway Park is the first time I’ve ever driven a crate late model, and I was really surprised how much power these crate engines have,” Hubbard said. “I raced with Rambo in the Carolinas early in my career when I was about 13-years-old, and I’ve read a lot about David Earl Gentry. They’re tough competitors and I’m glad that AES Racing gave me the opportunity to race with them down here. I’ve read about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, and I’m having a great time racing down here with good close competition.”

Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV finished fourth in the Mainland Transport Warrior, and Thursday night winner Jack Nosbisch Jr. was fifth in the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Rocket. Nosbisch trails Franklin in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings by six points after the first two races of the 2012 season.

Shane Hitt of Buckhannon, WV drove the Leggett Motorsports Warrior to a sixth-place finish, and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS took the seventh spot in the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT. The 2011 VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL finished eighth in the Edge’s Gas Company Special, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA was ninth in the Hedman Husler.

Anthony White of Clinton, TN started 22nd in the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger and finished tenth to earn the Hedman Husler Award and a $100 bonus from Hedman Husler Hedders. Phillip Cobb of Apollo Beach, FL finished 14th in the Mathis Farms Special and was the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race.

In other preliminary events, the second through fourth 12-lap heat race wins were taken by Hitt, Franklin, and Jake Teague of Oliver Springs, TN in the Wade’s Body Shop Special. The two 15-lap B-Main races were won by William Thomas of Phenix City, AL in the Harrod Logging Special and Doug Watson of Plant City, FL in the Brandon Auto Services Rocket.

Gentry took the lead at the start of the race from the pole position coming off the second turn followed by Hitt, Franklin, Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL in the Mathis Farms Special and Horton. Franklin passed Hitt for the second spot on the first lap with an inside move coming off the fourth turn.

Franklin chased down Gentry and was beginning to look inside to challenge for the lead by lap seven, as the leaders approach the cars on the tail of the lead lap. The first of four caution flags came out on lap nine when Thomas spun in turn one. With Gentry in the lead, Franklin chose the inside for the Dixie-Style double file restart behind the leader with Hitt to his outside in third.

When the green flag came out, Franklin was able to find enough real estate on the inside to pass Gentry for the lead by the time they came off the fourth turn. Hubbard came from the seventh spot on the lap nine restart to move up to fourth by lap ten, and Hitt faded back to the sixth spot.

Shan Smith of Dade City, FL dropped out of the seventh spot on lap 15 and parked the Outlaw Race Products TNT. As the race closed in on the halfway mark, Hubbard and Dixon caught Gentry in heavy lapped traffic and the three drivers waged a close battle for the second spot. After some contact on lap 19, Dixon slowed up and stalled to bring out the caution flag.

Dixon retired for the night and earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. Franklin led Gentry, Hubbard, Horton, Hitt, Nosbisch, Stokes, Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC in the CANCO Rocket, Edge, and Teague doubled up behind him for the restart. When the field went green, Hubbard challenged Gentry for second on the inside, but Gentry held on to the spot.

Cantrell spun out of the eighth spot on lap 21 in turn two bringing out the third caution flag of the race. The top ten for the restart was Franklin, Gentry, Hubbard, Horton, Hitt, Stokes, Nosbisch, Turner, Edge and Teague. On the restart, Nosbisch got busy as he vaulted from seventh to fifth. The final caution bulb of the race was lit on lap 22 when Teague spun in turn two.

The race went clean and green the rest of the way, with Franklin reaching lapped traffic on lap 32. Gentry, Hubbard and Horton closed in on the leader, but Franklin made a bold move between two lapped cars coming off the fourth turn on lap 35, and he pulled away to take his second career win with the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and his first with series since 2006.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Tour returns to East Bay Raceway Park for its third and final race of their portion of the 36th Annual Winternationals on Saturday night with a 50-lap $3,000-to-win race.

For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at NeSmith Racing. Becoming a fan of the NeSmith Racing Facebook page will make you eligible for special prizes that will be given away each month. You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 2 AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 2/3/12:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 3 27c Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC 40 $2,000
2. 1 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 40 $1,000
3. 7 37c Austin Hubbard Sanford, DE 40 $700
4. 6 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV 40 $550
5. 10 01 Jack Nosbisch Jr. Riverview, FL 40 $500
6. 2 2* Shane Hitt Buckhannon, WV 40 $425
7. 9 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $375
8. 11 18 Chase Edge Lafayette, AL 40 $350
9. 13 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $325
10. 22 17x Anthony White Clinton, TN 40 $400
11. 16 14 Maverick Varnadore Dover, FL 40 $275
12. 21 41 Travis Varnadore Dover, FL 40 $250
13. 18 07 Doug Watson Plant City, FL 40 $225
14. 19 32 Phillip Cobb (R) Apollo Beach, FL 40 $200
15. 24 24 Mark Tice Avon, MS 40 $175
16. 23 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 40 $150
17. 14 114 Chris Cantrell (R) Chester, SC 40 $140
18. 15 17c Steve Cooke Mt. Airy, NC 39 $125
19. 25 46m Kyle Musselman Lutz, FL 39 $125
20. 12 1g Pierce McCarter (R) Sevierville, TN 39 $125
21. 4 117 Jake Teague (R) Oliver Springs, TN 23 $125
22. 20 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN 20 $125
23. 5 95 Devin Dixon Apollo Beach, FL 19 $125
24. 8 99w Shan Smith Dade City, FL 14 $125
25. 17 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL 8 $125

ENTRIES: 50
FAST QUALIFIER: Gentry, 15.627 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Lee and Tice
TRACK PROVISIONAL: Musselman
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Gentry, 1-8; Franklin, 9-40
LAPS LED: Franklin, 32; Gentry 8
VP RACING FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Cobb
HEDMAN HUSLER OF THE RACE: White (started 22nd and finished 10th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Dixon
INTEGRA RACING SHOCKS JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Shannon Reed
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Nosbisch
KRC 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Hitt
QA1 RACE PRODUCTS 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Stokes
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Edge
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
KRC 10TH-PLACE AWARD: White
MIKE’S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: M. Varnadore
SHORTY’S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: T. Varnadore
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 13-PLACE AWARD: Watson
J.T. KERR RACING EQUIPMENT 14TH-PLACE AWARD: Cobb
KINSER AIR FILTERS 15TH=PLACE AWARD: Tice
CAUTIONS: 4
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.611 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 26 Minutes and 643 Seconds

GROUP QUALIFYING:
1ST GROUP:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN Warrior 15.818 15.627 15.627
2 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS GRT 16.434 16.029 16.029
3 95 Devin Dixon Apollo Beach, FL Barry Wright 16.475 16.111 16.111
4 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA DWB 16.197 16.228 16.197
5 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS GRT 16.896 16.358 16.358
6 41 Travis Varnadore Dover, FL Rayburn 16.550 17.022 16.550
7 7B Jim Beeman North Vernon, IN Rayburn 17.241 16.586 16.586
8 17 Kyle Weatherman Wentzville, MO Rocket 16.606 16.704 16.606
9 36 Cody Dawson Westover, MD Rocket 36.673 16.983 16.983
10 46m Kyle Musselman Lutz, FL Warrior 17.152 16.993 16.993
11 95jr Steve Mathis Jr. Plant City, FL Rayburn 17.129 17.031 17.031
12 21p Josh Peacock Dover, FL Warrior 17.491 19.164 17.491
13 10s Elmer Stevenson Trenton, ONT Can Lazer 17.750 17.505 17.505

2ND GROUP:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 1g Pierce McCarter – R Sevierville, TN Warrior 16.258 16.337 16.258
2 99w Shan Smith Dade City, FL TNT 16.303 17.133 16.303
3 117 Jake Teague – R Oliver Springs, TN Bloomquist 16.334 18.354 16.334
4 18a Jared Allison Cocoa, FL Trak-Star 17.175 16.354 16.354
5 24 Mark Tice Avon, MS Trak-Star 16.702 16.499 16.499
6 *18 Kevin Wilson Stoneville, NC Wilson 16.692 16.510 16.510
7 14 Mavrick Varnadore Dover, FL Rayburn 17.258 16.514 16.514
8 69 Tony Lawson Laurel, MS Scorpion 63.962 16.580 16.580
9 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN GRT 16.973 16.656 16.656
10 17k Cody Kierre – R Beebe, AR GRT 17.016 18.213 17.016
11 J1 Johnny Phillips Lenoir City, TN Warrior 17.097 17.082 17.082
12 51p John Polasini – R Leland, MS Mastersbilt 17.755 NT 17.755
13 17x Anthony White Clinton, TN Stinger NT NT NT

3RD GROUP:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 2* Shane Hitt Buckhannon, WV Warrior 16.339 15.881 15.881
2 01 Jack Nosbisch Jr. Riverview, FL Rocket 15.995 15.979 15.979
3 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL Scorpion 16.078 16.027 16.027
4 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV Warrior 16.241 16.180 16.180
5 114 Chris Cantrell – R Chester, SC Rocket 16.283 16.602 16.283
6 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA Rocket 16.873 16.293 16.293
7 21r Shannon Reed Bloomington, IN Rayburn 17.148 16.482 16.482
8 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 16.796 16.508 16.508
9 32 Phillip Cobb – R Apollo Beach, FL Barry Wright 16.612 16.552 16.552
10 29 Philip Potts Brighton, ONT Can Lazer 17.108 16.577 16.577
11 116 Greg Robertson Waynesboro, VA Rocket 16.577 17.171 16.577
12 72 Frank Wilson Harold, FL Trak-Star 16.933 17.123 16.933

4TH GROUP:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 17c Steve Cooke Mt. Airy, NC Barry Wright 16.845 16.035 16.035
2 27c Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC Barry Wright 16.529 16.120 16.120
3 37c Austin Hubbard Sanford, DE Barry Wright 16.221 16.253 16.221
4 40 Justin Summers – R Greenback, TN Stinger 16.792 16.236 16.236
5 18 Chase Edge Lafayette, AL Mastersbilt 16.499 16.330 16.330
6 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA Scorpion 16.387 18.150 16.387
7 07 Doug Watson Plant City, FL Rocket 16.638 16.618 16.618
8 51 Mack McCarter Sevierville, TN CVR 16.669 18.140 16.669
9 8s Steve Miller Tampa, FL Rocket 17.122 16.721 16.721
10 T1 Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN TNT 56.449 16.725 16.725
11 105 Dave Schmauss Dover, FL Warrior 16.755 16.761 16.755
12 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS Trak-Star 17.196 16.824 16.824

HEAT RACES (12 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST HEAT: 1. Gentry; 2. Dixon; 3. Stokes; 4. Dawson; 5. Dawson; 6. Lee; 7. T. Varnadore; 8. Weatherman; 9. Stevenson; 10. Musselman; 11. Mathis; 12. Beeman DNS; 13. Peacock.

2ND HEAT: 1. Hitt; 2. Horton; 3. Nosbisch; 4. Cantrell (R); 5. Thomas; 6. Cobb (R); 7. Robertson; 8. Reed; 9. Potts; 10. F. Wilson; 11. Minga; 12. Arthur.

3RD HEAT: 1. Franklin; 2. Hubbard; 3. Edge; 4. Cooke; 5. Watson; 6. Morrow; 7. Harrod; 8. Schmauss; 9. Miller; 10. Blount; 11. M. McCarter; 12. Summers.

4TH HEAT: 1. Teague (R); 2. Smith; 3. P. McCarter (R); 4. M. Varnadore; 5. Cooper; 6. White; 7. Allison; 8. Polasini (R); 9. Lawson; 10. Phillips; 11. Tice; 12. Kierre (R); 13. K. Wilson.

B-MAINS (15 Laps – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN: 1. Thomas; 2. Cobb (R); 3. T. Varnadore; 4. Reed; 5. Mathis; 6. Robertson; 7. F. Wilson; 8. Weatherman; 9. Lee; 10. Stevenson; 11. Minga; 12. Musselman; 13. Dawson; 14. Potts; 15. Beeman DNS; 16. Arthur DNS; 17. Peacock DNS.

2ND B-MAIN: 1. Watson; 2. Cooper; 3. White; 4. Miller; 5. Harrod; 6. M. McCarter; 7. Blount; 8. Allison; 9. Summers (R); 10. Polasini (R); 11. Lawson; 12. Phillips; 13. Schmauss; 14. Morrow; 15. Tice; 16. Kierre (R) DNS; 17. K. Wilson DNS.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 2/3/12:

1. 27c Dennis Franklin – 196
2. 01 Jack Nosbisch Jr. – 190
3. 37c Austin Hubbard – 186
4. 1 Johnny Stokes – 176
5. 56 David Earl Gentry – 174
6. Matthew Turner – 170
7. 114 Chris Cantrell (R) – 160
8. 11 Doug Horton – 158
9. 32 Phillip Cobb (R) – 154
10. 07 Doug Watson – 146
11. 47 Shannon Lee – 144
12. 95 Devin Dixon – 140
12. 24 Mark Tice – 140
12. 18 Chase Edge – 140
15. 14 Maverick Varnadore – 136
16. 22 William Thomas – 120
17. 2* Shane Hitt – 118
18. 105 Dave Schmauss – 116
19. 27 Larry Harrod – 110
19. 17x Anthony White – 110

R – Denotes VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidate

NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is the nation’s number one GM Powertrain Dealer four years running, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast. Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. VP Racing Fuel is the Official Racing Fuel of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Hedman Hedders is the Official Hedder of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and the Hedman Husler Award sponsor. RockAuto.com is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for 2012 are Dominator Race Products, Race Car Engineering, KRC, QA 1 Precision Products, Modern Images, Mike Custom Tanks, Shorty’s Shock Service, Schoenfeld Headers, Integra Racing Shocks, J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment, Kinser Air Filters, Trak-Star Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, TNT Race Cars, and Stinger Race Cars.