LMS: Cordele race notes

Beau Slocumb beats Matt Hawkins and Mother Nature to win the Watermelon Bowl 125 at the Watermelon Capital (GA) Speedway.

Cordele, Georgia (05/05/2007): The second race of the 2007 Season in the ASA Late Model Series Southern Division Presented by GM Performance Parts is now complete. After a Two Hour and 45 Minute Rain Delay, the Watermelon Bowl 125 is now in the books as the fast 0.400 Mile Semi-Banked Paved Oval of the Watermelon Capital (GA) Speedway, located South of Macon in Cordele, Georgia was the site for the Watermelon Bowl 125.

The extended distance 125-lap Feature saw hometown favorite from near-by Juliette, Georgia; Beau Slocumb pass race long leader, Matt Hawkins with three laps to go to win his second career ASALMS Southern Division Feature and first of the 2007 Racing Season.

Slocumb, who earlier in the evening won the ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products Fast Qualifier Award Presented by the Florida Short Track Report, battled side by side with Hawkins over the last eight laps before maneuvering his Rusty Clanton Racing/Beau Slocumb Racing/Ford Fusion into victory lane to the approval of the partisan hometown crowd.

16-year-old Rookie, Anthony Campi, who was making his ASALMS debut and fellow Freshman, Sean Bass led the 28-car field to Chief Starter, Joey Aycock's green flag to begin the extended distance 125-lap Feature on a hot and humid evening in the Peach State. After a complete restart, Bass beat out Campi to the first corner to take the early lead.

Bass paced the field for the first Five laps until Canton, Georgia native, Matt Hawkins drove by on Lap Six to take over the top spot. A slew of cautions plagued the event thanks to the Showers that hit the Cordele, Georgia facility. As a result, very little rubber was laid down on the 0.400 Mile Semi-Banked Paved Oval and traction was at a premium for the ASALMS South contingent.

The most serious of the 13 cautions came on Lap Six when Campi looped his mount in front of the field and several cars had nowhere to go and crowded into him. Campi was done for the evening as well as Defending Race Winner, Ryan Lawler, Rookie Devan Hall from near-by Leesburg, Georgia and Wes Burton were all forced to the pit area and done for the night.

Other than the Lap Six incident, the remaining cautions were primarily for spins and cars sailing over the Turn Three embankment and coming to rest in the farm fields behind the third corner. ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products-Florida Short Track Report Fast Qualifier, Beau Slocumb was steadily making his way through the field and just past halfway marker, had moved himself into the second spot and began his charge towards Hawkins.

Slocumb caught up to Hawkins and began challenging the fellow Peach State driver for the lead. As Slocumb would get a run on Hawkins, a caution would come out, forcing Slocumb to have to start all over again. It would take the driver from near-by Juliette, Georgia two to three laps to get up to full speed, but once he did, he was all over Hawkins for the top spot.

As the laps counted down, Slocumb would pull up next to Hawkins on several occasions but a caution would damper his efforts. On lap 117 Slocumb pulled up along side Hawkins and just after the crossed the start/finish line on lap 118 Slocumb actually took the lead, but the last of the 13 cautions flew for Rookies Brian Blum and Fain Skinner getting together in Turn Three, forcing Slocumb back behind Hawkins for the final restart.

As the green flag waved one last time, Slocumb didn't need the extra time to get going and immediately pulled alongside Hawkins, the 2007 USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series Southern Division Season Opener winner back in Late February in Lakeland, Florida, and the two Georgia pilots battled side by side as the crowd was on their feet screaming for the hometown favorite.

Finally on lap 122, Slocumb beat Hawkins across the line for the first time all evening to the roar of the partisan crowd on hand. From there, Slocumb edged out in front and pulled away as Hawkins never mounted a last charge. As the checkered flag waved, Slocumb crossed the stripe in first for his Second Career ASALMS Southern Division Feature Win and first of the 2007 season.

Hawkins settled for second while Rookies Sean Bass and Brandon Johnson both had career nights by finishing third and fourth respectively. With his career high Third Place finish, Bass took over both the Overall and Rookie of the Year Points Leads heading into the third race of the season on June 2, 2007.

Dillon Oliver started 21st and earned the Hard-Charger of the Race Award with his Fifth Place showing. Travis Wilson was sixth while Chris Fontaine, John Wes Townley, Dalton Zehr, and Tommy King completed the Top 10.

Earlier in the evening in ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products-Florida Short Track Report Qualifying, Juliette, Georgia native and hometown favorite, Beau Slocumb won his first ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products-Florida Short Track Report Fast Qualifier Award of the season.

Slocumb steered his Clanton Racing Ford Fusion around the 0.400 Mile Semi-Banked Paved Oval at a 16.323 which measures out to 88.219 MPH. The track record for the ASALMS Southern Division at the Cordele, Georgia speed plant remains a 16.253 which was set by Matt Hawkins back on October 7, 2006.

In the 15-lap GM Performance Parts Shootout, 14-year-old Max Gresham became the youngest driver in ASALMS history to win an event when the Milner, Georgia teenager led all 15 laps to score the win in the GM Performance Parts Shootout and earned the 27th starting spot in the 125-lap Feature.

Logan Dernoshek finished second and also transferred. Dakota Stroup was the first car on the outside looking in as he finished third ahead of Kyle Maynard and Tommy Climer who completed the Top Five.

The next event of the 2007 season for the ASALMS Southern Division will be on Saturday June 2, 2007 as the immaculate South Georgia (GA) Motorsports Park, located North of the Florida/Georgia state line in Cecil, Georgia is next on the schedule with the running of the South Georgia 100.

The next event overall for the ASALMS will be for the ASALMS Challenge Division as the Barron Motor Supply/Crate Motor Classic 200 Presented by Cassill Motors is up next for "America's Premiere Short Track Series".

Race Number Four for the ASALMS Challenge Division is set for Friday and Saturday May 11-12, 2007 at the 0.500 Mile Semi-Banked Paved Oval of the Hawkeye Downs (IA) Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the running of the Barron Motor Supply/Crate Motor Classic 200 Presented by Cassill Motors.

Joining the ASALMS Challenge Division on Friday May 11, 2007 will be the Hawkeye Downs regular divisions of; Modifieds, Sportsmen, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Sport Mods, and Go-Karts. On Saturday May 12, 2007, the Hawkeye Downs IMCA Hobby Stocks and Hornets Divisions will join in on the ASALMS Challenge Division weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In preparation for the Hawkeye Downs (Challenge Division) event, the ASA Late Model Series has some great activities planned and is looking for some participation from the ASALMS Challenge Division teams. On Thursday May 10, 2007, the ASALMS will be hosting a Pit Stop Competition for Race Fans at the Cedar Rapids K-Mart, located at 2727 16th Avenue Southwest in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Haulers can park there overnight to line-up for Friday Morning Parade. At 4:00pm, there will be ASALMS Rig Parking at K-Mart West Parking Lot. From 6:00pm-9:00pm, the ASALMS Pit Stop Competition will be going on also in the K-Mart West Parking Lot.

Then on Friday morning, May 11, 2007 prior to Day One of the Barron Motor Supply/Crate Motor Classic 200 Presented by Cassill Motors, ASALMS Teams will be participating in a Pre-Race Day Parade beginning at 7:30am and will be parking Haulers at the track in the order they are in at the parade. All non parade participants will be parked after these haulers, so participation is rewarded. For more information, please call the ASALMS Home Offices in Lexington, Michigan at: 1 (800) 385-2503.

The ASALMS Challenge Division will stick around the Hawkeye State for the next event on the calendar as the ASALMS Challenge Division will be right back in action the following weekend for the Make-A-Wish 150 Presented by TMC Transportation and Northland Oil.

Race Number Five for the ASALMS Challenge Division is set for Friday and Saturday May 18-19, 2007 at the immaculate 0.875 Mile Progressively Banked Paved Oval of the Iowa (IA) Speedway, located East of Des Moines in Newton, Iowa for the running of the Make-A-Wish 150 Presented by TMC Transportation and Northland Oil. this event will be run in a special Triple 50s format!

Joining the ASALMS Challenge Division for the weekend at the Rusty Wallace Signature Series track will be the combined NASCAR Grand National Series East and West Divisions as well as the United State Super Trucks Series.

Finally to complete the month of May, the ASALMS Northern Division will help celebrate the Memorial Day holiday weekend with the Second Race of the 2007 Season; The 1st annual Bob Milner Memorial 125.

Race Number Two for the ASALMS Northern Division is set for Saturday May 26, 2007 at the 0.333 Mile Semi-Banked Paved Oval of the Grundy County (IL) Speedway, located West of Chicago in Morris, Illinois for the running of the 1st annual Bob Milner Memorial 125. Joining the ASALMS Northern Division for the weekend will be the Mid-American Stock Car Series and the Central States Super Cup Series.

-credit: asa