Flomaton Speedway
O'Connor survives, earns $5,000 at Flomaton
By Roby Helm
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
Chris O'Connor earned $5,000. (mikessportsimages.com)
FLOMATON, Ala. (March 21-22) — Chris O’Connor of Cantonment, Fla., survived a pair of close calls and led all 75 laps of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series event in front of a packed house at Flomaton Speedway to earn $5,000.
O’Connor had an anxious moment in heavy traffic on lap 11 when he got off the inside of the track in turn four, and slid up in front of second-running Shep Lucas of McKenzie, Ala., One lap later, O’Connor made contact with the lapped car of hometown driver Bo Odom and Odom’s machine hit the frontstretch wall. “Things were tight early in the race in lapped traffic, and I’ve got to thank Shep Lucas for giving me break when I got off the track in turn four,” O’Connor said. “I’ve also got to apologize to (Odom) for getting into him, and it wasn’t intentional. I knew the heat was on behind me, and I was trying to win the race.”
Things calmed down the rest of the way as O’Connor outran Lucas for his first-ever series victory. The fast-qualifying Lucas settled for second with Derrick Rainey, Matthew Turner and 15th-starting Mark Clifton rounding out the top five. Chip Brindle finished 10th, good enough to give him the series points lead.
Notes: The next series event is the $10,000-to-win Cajun Spring Nationals, a 100-lapper April 25-26 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss. ... Eight cautions slowed the action. ... Sixteen drivers completed 75 laps. ... Provisional starter Chris Tays of Corinth, Miss., rallied from 23rd to 11th to earn hard charger honors.
NeSmith Chevrolet @ Flomaton: (1) Chris O’Connor, (2) Shep Lucas, (3) Derrick Rainey, (4) Matthew Turner, (5) Mark Clifton, (6) Larry Boutwell, (7) Rusty Ellis, (8) Scott Knowles, (9) William Thomas, (10) Chip Brindle, (11) Chris Tays, (12) Stephen Brantley, (13) Jay Blair, (14) Eric Cooley, (15) Jeff Fields, (16) Ted Lackey, (17) Josh Huss, (18) Jason Hiett (19) Jim Till, (20) Frank Ingram, (21) Lucky Keeton, (22) Hunter Peacock, (23) Clint Holmes, (24) Bo Odom. Fast qualifier (among 35 cars): Lucas, 12.653 seconds. Heat race winners: O’Connor, Ellis, Ingram, Rainey. Consolation winners: Fields, Peacock. Provisional starter: Tays.
