Albany Motor Speedway
Low-running Gentry gets NeSmith win at Albany
By Roby Helm
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
David Gentry (56) overtakes Dennis Franklin en route to victory. (Brian McLeod)
ALBANY, Ga. (April 28) — Ninth-starting David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, Tenn., took the lead from race-long leader Dennis Franklin on lap 19 of Saturday night’s Spring Nationals 40 and led the remaining distance for a $2,500 victory on the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. | Slideshow
Gentry utilized the bottom groove of the quarter-mile clay oval to his advantage in his Eads Farms and Hardy & Associates-sponsored Warrior Race Car. After tracking down Franklin of Gaffney, S.C., Gentry made the winning pass following a restart, diving under Franklin entering turn one and completing the pass exiting turn two.
“Last night the track was hooked up around the top, but I watched the track prep all day, and it looked like the bottom groove was going to come in tonight,” Gentry said. “We made some adjustments to make our car work down there with the Bilstein Spec Shocks and that made a big difference.”
Defending series champion Dan Breuer of Troutman, N.C., also overtook Franklin, his AES Racing Team teammate, to claim the runner-up finish. After riding the first half of the race on the high side of the track, Breuer mirrored Gentry’s act on the inside, dropped down behind him, and followed him up to the second.
“We thought the track would be the same as it was last night, so we drove around the top,” Breuer said. “But when Gentry went blasting by me on the bottom, I just tucked in behind him, and followed him to the second spot. We had a harder compound tire on, so we were good on long runs. The late race caution flags did us in at having a chance to challenge for the win.”
Franklin, the current series points leader and Saturday’s Wright Turf Farms Fast Qualifier, finished third in his AES Racing Barry Wright after leading the first 18 laps of the race.
Friday night winner William Thomas of Phenix City, Ala., took the fourth spot in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion Race Car while Anthony White of Clinton, Tenn., finished fifth in the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger Race Cars house cars.
The NeSmith Series for Crate Late Models returns to action May 4-5 with a doubleheader weekend. Friday’s event at Malden (Mo.) Speedway pays $2,000 to the winner, while Saturday’s visit to Clayhill Motorsports Park in Atwood, Tenn., pays $2,500.
Spring Nationals 40: (1) David Earl Gentry, (2) Dan Breuer, (3) Dennis Frank.in, (4) William Thomas, (5) Anthony White, (6) Anthony Sanders, (7) Larry Harrod, (8) Chris Cantrell, (9) Kitt Sealy, (10) Matthew Turner, (11) Kyle Bridges, (12) Johnny Stokes, (13) Chase Edge, (14) Michael Blount, (15) Tony Lawson, (16) Lavon Sloan, (17) J.R. Moseley, (18) Jake Teague, (19) Justin Summers, (20) Thomas Lewis, (21) Frank Wilson, (22) Mark Tice, (23) Travis Stone, (24) Tom Maddox. Fast qualifier (among 29 entries): Franklin, 14.251 seconds. Consolation race winners: Turner, White.
