BRUNSWICK, Ga. - On Sunday afternoon at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., Josh Richards takes the $15,000 finale of the Georgia Boot Super Bowl of Racing. The event was sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
Jonathan Davenport, the reigning LOLMDS National Champion made a valiant effort on the final lap to pass Richards, but he spun, allowing Richards to take the checkers first for the second time over the weekend. Jared Landers slipped by Davenport for second, while Davenport re-gained control of his car to cross the line in third. Scott Bloomquist was fourth, followed by Eddie Carrier, Jr in fifth.
Davenport led the first lap of the 60-lap event before Richards grabbed the lead on lap two. Richards then held the top spot over Davenport until lap 35 when Davenport was able to forge back into the lead. The two then dueled as Richards rallied back into the lead for good on lap 46.
“I kept watching the crew guys that were giving me signals,” said Richards. “I knew he (Davenport) was still close when I was leading. He actually helped me when he passed me because he showed me another line.
“For a day race, the track had plenty of grip to it. I was conserving my tires, I didn’t know if they would last, but they did. The track crew did a great job with the track. To win twice down here, it’s a great start to the season”
Landers was able to sneak by Davenport in the final corner to nab a second-place finish.
“We have had a good car all weekend,” Landers said. “For a day race, the track was in really good shape, we could run anywhere on it. We went with a softer compound tire and it held up really well.”
Davenport gave Richards one final shot heading to the checked flag, but ended up getting sideways. He stopped momentarily and re-gained control as the race stayed green to the finish.
“It’s Super Bowl Sunday so I was going for the win,” the Blairsville, Ga. native said. “I got in the corner and was already committed and it just turned on me. We were fortunate to finish third. I am glad we didn’t lose any more points than we did.
“The track crew did a great job with the track today. Turns one and two were a little slick, but we could run into turns three and four pretty hard. I want to thank Kevin and Lee Roy Rumley. Today is Lee Roy’s 80th birthday and like last year, was hoping to bring him home a win.”
Completing the top ten were Tim McCreadie, Dennis Erb, Jr., Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran and Darrell Lanigan.
In preliminary action, Brian Shirley set the overall fast time (Group B) amongst the 42 entrants, with a lap of 15.231 seconds. Davenport set the fastest time in Group A with a time of 15.240 seconds. Davenport, Landers, Shirley, and Richards won their respective heat races. Chris Madden won the B-Main.
For more information on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, visit LucasDirt.com.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Golden Isles Speedway – Brunswick, GA
Georgia Boot Super Bowl of Racing – Feb. 7, 2016
| FINISH | START | CAR # | DRIVER NAME | HOMETOWN |
| 1 | 4 | 1R | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV |
| 2 | 3 | 777 | Jared Landers | Batesville, AR |
| 3 | 1 | 6 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA |
| 4 | 11 | 0 | Scott Bloomquist | Mooresburg, TN |
| 5 | 5 | 28 | Eddie Carrier, Jr. | Salt Rock, WV |
| 6 | 9 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY |
| 7 | 13 | 28e | Dennis Erb, Jr. | Carpentersville, IL |
| 8 | 21 | B5 | Brandon Sheppard | New Berlin, IL |
| 9 | 7 | 99m | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH |
| 10 | 22 | 15L | Darrell Lanigan | Union, KY |
| 11 | 17 | 44 | Chris Madden | Gaffney, SC |
| 12 | 16 | 1 | Earl Pearson, Jr. | Jacksonville, FL |
| 13 | 24 | 15F | Steve Francis | Ashland, KY |
| 14 | 6 | 38 | Kenny PettyJohn | Millsboro, DE |
| 15 | 12 | 1G | Ryan King | Seymour, TN |
| 16 | 8 | 21jr | Billy Moyer, Jr. | Batesville, AR |
| 17 | 23 | 5 | Don O’Neal | Martinsville, IN |
| 18 | 10 | 116 | Randy Weaver | Crossville, TN |
| 19 | 20 | 5W | Mark Whitener | Middleburg, FL |
| 20 | 15 | 21L | Ivedent Lloyd, Jr. | Ocala, FL |
| 21 | 14 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN |
| 22 | 19 | 18 | Chase Junghans | Manhattan, KS |
| 23 | 18 | 25Z | Mason Zeigler | Chalk Hill, PA |
| 24 | 2 | 3s | Brian Shirley | Chatham, IL |
Race Statistics
Entrants: 42
Lap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 1); Josh Richards (Laps 2 – 43); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 35-46); Josh Richards (Laps 47 – 50)
Cautions: Mason Zeigler (lap 1); Don O’Neal, Brandon Sheppard, Darrell Lanigan, Jimmy Owens (Lap 3); Darrell Lanigan (Lap 28); Randy Weaver (Lap 34)
Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Sheppard (Lap #53 – 15.437 seconds)
Most Laps Led: Josh Richards
Time of Race: 37 minutes, 35 seconds
