Cleveland Speedway
Cook tops Payne, Shirley for victory at Cleveland
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (Aug. 7) — Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C., led the final 32 laps at Cleveland Speedway for his series-leading fourth Southern Regional Racing Series victory of the season and 12th of his career. The fourth-starting Cook, who took the lead from outside front-row starer Bo Shirley of Gadsden, Ala., on the ninth lap, earned $3,000.
Fast qualifier and polesitter David Payne of Murphy, N.C., finished second followed by Dale McDowell of Rossville, Ga., who advanced four positions. Riley Hickman of Ooltewah, Ga., rallied from 11th to finish fourth and 16th-starting Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., rounded out the top five in the Bob Harris-owned No. B1.
Shirley's car stalled while he was running second with five laps remaining and he dropped out with a 17th-place finish.
Notes: Cook's D&R Motorsports team fields a Race Engine Design-powered MasterSbilt house car with sponsorship from Hicks & Ingle and A+ Moving & Storage. ... Josh Putnam was black-flagged for his part in a tangle with series co-founder Tony Morris on the backstretch during the second consolation race; Putnam was disqualified for the remainder of the night and not allowed a series provisional. ... Drivers failing to make the feature: William Thomas, George Mashburn, Josh Putnam, Johnny Chastain, Rex Richey and Reed Johnson. ... Next up for SRRS is Aug. 13-14 action at Duck River Speedway in Wheel, Tenn., and North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth.
SRRS @ Cleveland: (1) Ray Cook, (2) David Payne, (3) Dale McDowell, (4) Riley Hickman, (5) Randy Weaver, (6) Jake Knowles, (7) Derek Ellis, (8) Mark Vineyard, (9) Shawn Chastain, (10) Kayne Hickman, (11) Tony Morris, (12) Preston Graves, (13) Jacob Grizzle, (14) Mike Hill, (15) Jay Brinkley, (16) Chad Ogle, (17) Bo Shirley, (18) Rick Rogers, (19) Brian Hickman, (20) Rick Hixson, (21) Anthony Burroughs, (22) Davy Davis, (23) Jamie Perry, (24) Todd Morrow. Fast qualifier (among 30 cars): Payne, 13.335 seconds. Consolation race winners: Knowles, Hickman, Hixson. Provisional starters: Grizzle, Morrow.