Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway
Finishing on flat tire, Francis nips Erb at KLMS
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com chief writer
Steve Francis nips Dennis Erb Jr. at the finish. (Jimmy Dearing)
CALVERT CITY, Ky. (March 13) — Manhandling his car on a deflating right rear tire over the final three laps, Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., barely held off Dennis Erb Jr.'s charge in the March Madness opener at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway.
"It was flat on the last restart," said Francis, who pulled into victory lane with his flat to be congratulated by car owner Dale Beitler. "I was just wanting it to be over." Post-race notebook | Slideshow | Pre-race notebook
The 40-lap UMP-sanctioned feature appeared to be over after 25 laps when Francis led early leader Justin Rattliff by more than a half straightaway. But a caution for Earl Pearson Jr.'s turn-two spin on the 37th lap reset the field and suddenly Francis was vulnerable.
The Ashland, Ky., driver stuck with the low groove for a lap, then went back to the high side in hopes of hanging on as the eighth-starting Erb put his nosepiece on the rear deck of the leader. Erb pulled alongside at the white flag and again exiting turn two on the last lap, then appeared to nose just ahead exiting turn four. But the high-running Francis stomped on the gas with all he had and roared down the frontstretch to win by inches at the finish line. He earned $5,000 for his second victory with Beitler, the Maryland car owner who hired the World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion during the off-season.
Erb was second with sixth-starting Bart Hartman third. Former track champion Terry English, who started ninth, finished fourth and 13th-starting Brad Neat rounded out the top five. Rattliff led the first 12 laps and was running second on the 36th lap when he lost a driveshaft and pulled to the infield. Polesitter Billy Moyer set fast time and dominated his heat race, but fell back to fourth by the halfway point and continued to fade. The race was slowed by six cautions, the most serious for a scramble between turns one and two on a lap-16 restart that saw Michael Walker and John Tindal spinning.
Wendell Wallace started fifth and was up to third by the 16th lap, but he stopped during a caution with distributor problems and his No. 88 was pushed off the track.
Feature: (1) Steve Francis, (2) Dennis Erb Jr., (3) Bart Hartman, (4) Terry English, (5) Brad Neat, (6) Billy Moyer, (7) Kevin Cole, (8) Rodney Melvin, (9) John Tindal, (10) Frank Heckenast Jr., (11) Ashley Anderson, (12) Michael Walker, (13) Justin Rattliff, (14) Earl Pearson Jr., (15) David Scott, (16) Jason McBride, (17) Jeremy Grady, (18) Rob Moss, (19) Tait Davenport, (20) Craig Smith, (21) Wendell Wallace, (22) Denny Woodworth, (23) Jeff Walston, (24) Dylan Thompson.
Prelims
After setting fast time and winning the first heat race, red-hot Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., is scheduled to start on the pole in the March Madness opener at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. Moyer will start out front for the $5,000-to-win UMP-sanctioned feature on the first of three scheduled nights of racing at the 3/8-mile oval in western Kentucky.
Starting alongside Moyer, a six-time winner at Florida Speedweeks, is another heat winner, Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, Ky., with second-row-starters Kevin Cole and Steve Francis also winning their heat races.
Brad Neat held the second spot through most of the first heat before dropping to fourth in the final laps. Rattliff, who got a front-row starting spot when Chris Simpson scratched from the lineup because of transmission problems, fought off a mid-race charge from polesitter Earl Pearson Jr. to win the second heat. In the third heat, Dewayne Keifer fell out of a transfer spot with a broken left-front suspension.
Moyer's 14.547-second qualifying lap was the best among 47 drivers overall in an event that utilized group qualifying. Other drivers topping their groups in time trials: Pearson (14.613) of Jacksonville, Fla.; Cole (14.981) of Harrisburg, Ill.; and Francis (14.821) of Ashland, Ky.
Unofficial and incomplete heat finishes:
First heat: (1) Billy Moyer, (2) Wendell Wallace, (3) Terry English, (4) Brad Neat, (5) Tait Davenport, (6) Jeff Walston, (7) Denny Woodworth.
Second heat: (1) Justin Rattliff, (2) Bart Hartman, (3) Earl Pearson Jr., (4) Michael Walker, (5) Jason Grady, (6) Rob Moss, (7) Jon Rogers, (8) Billy Moyer Jr., (9) Credence Mott.
Third heat: (1) Kevin Cole, (2) Rodney Melvin, (3) Ashley Anderson, (4) Dylan Thompson, (5) Ryan Unzicker, (6) Tyler Boggs, (7) Mike Hammerle, (8) Andy Eckrich.
Fourth heat: (1) Steve Francis, (2) Dennis Erb Jr., (3) Frank Heckenast Jr., (4) John Tindal, (5) Craig Smith, (6) David Scott, (7) Patrick Sheltra, (8) Richie Hedrick.
First consolation: (1) Tait Davenport, (2) Denny Woodworth, (3) Jeff Walston, (4) Jason McBride, (5) Andy Eckrich, (6) Rusty Griffaw, (7) April Farmer, (8) Dewayne Keifer, (9) Lee Thomason.
Second consolation: (1) David Scott, (2) Craig Smith, (3) Jeremy Grady, (4) Rob Moss, (5) Patrick Sheltra, (6) B.J. McCammon.
