Merchant charges from 13th to grab NGK Shootout Top Prize!

Merchant Charges from 13th to grab NGK Shootout Top Prize!

FORT WORTH-DALLAS (April 15, 2005) - Kenny Merchant has always run well at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track but could never make it to Victory Lane. That changed Saturday night as the 2003 O’Reilly SUPR Late Model Series champion charged from 13th starting position to capture the 50-lap NGK Spark Plugs Shootout and its $10,000 top prize.

It appeared that Merchant would remain on the other side of Lady Luck at the Dirt Track as he was forced to qualify for the feature through the first Last Chance Race. But once the green flag dropped, Merchant pushed his J.D. Caver/Cliburn Truck Lines MasterSbilt late model to the front in just 13 circuits around the four-tenths mile clay oval. Merchant passed Wendall Wallace for the top spot and cruised to a 1.71-second triumph over Jason Ingalls. The win was Merchant’s 33rd of his O’Reilly SUPR career.

“I want to thank Texas Motor Speedway for putting on a race like this,” Merchant said about the richest race in O’Reilly SUPR Late Model Series’ 16-year history. “I love racing at the Dirt Track. We have run well before here, just never made it to Victory Lane. We even use NGK spark plugs in our car!”

Ingalls’ trek to the $5,000 runner-up payoff was as adventuresome as Merchant’s. The third-generation driver finished second in the Third Last Chance event and started the 50-lapper in 19th position. Ingalls moved methodically through the field in the Nash Trucking/Nash Rentals GRT and passed Jeff Taylor for second on lap 43.

Taylor claimed the $3,500 in the Hawkeye Truck Sales/Mark Martin 5. Pro-Cuts Texas World Dirt Track Championship winner Kelly Boen nearly spun out while running fourth on the second lap, fell to 17th then rode the cushion to a $2,750 payoff. O’Reilly SUPR Late Model Series point leader David Ashley pushed his Thornhill Wrecker 14 from 21st starting position to the $2,500 fifth-place check.

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Ken Schrader finished fourth in his Last Chance race but didn’t qualify for the feature. “We drew a starting spot at the end of our heat and just missed on our setup,” Schrader said. “In the Last Chance race the groove moved up on the track and we got to fourth but it wasn’t good enough.”

Cam Case led the entire 15-lap Legends Cars feature.

NGK SPARK PLUGS SHOOTOUT
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY DIRT TRACK, FORT WORTH, TX
Saturday, April 16, 2005

O’Reilly SUPR Late Models

First Heat (10 laps): 1. Jeff Taylor, Cave City, AR; 2. Steve Drake, San Luis Obispo, CA; 3. Doug Ingalls, Longview, TX; 4. Duke Whiseant, Texarkana, TX; 5. Randy Timms, Oklahoma City, OK 6. Robbie Stuart, DeRidder, LA; 7. Dewaine Hottinger, Russellville, AR; 8. Jack Ambern, Arp, TX; 9. Jerry Bell, Rowlett, TX; 10. Donald Watson, Baton Rouge, LA; 11. Kyle Taylor, Longview, TX.

Second Heat (10 laps): 1. Kelly Boen, Henderson, CO; 2. Jason Ingalls, Longview, TX; 3. Robbie Starnes, Baytown, TX; 4. Jon Mitchell, Greenbrier, AR; 5. Gary Stolba, Willow Springs, MO; 6. Stacy Veuleman, Zwolle, LA; 7. Jay Blair, Angie, LA; 8. Phillip Cooper, Lafayette, LA; 9. Michael Grubbs, Plano, TX; 10. Rusty Cummings, Minden, LA; 11. Tom Lorenz, Balch Springs, TX.

Third Heat (10 laps): 1. Garrett Durrett, Simsboro, LA; 2. Wendall Wallace, Batesville, AR; 3. Shawn Brassfield, Ada, OK; 4. Trey Beene, Bossier City, LA; 5. Randy Timms, Oklahoma City, OK; 6. Jody Prince, Sibley, LA; 7. Danny Mahan, Vidor, TX; 8. Bob Ewell, Forney, TX; 9. Jimmy Goodwin, Rowlett, TX; 10. Allen Tippen, Minden, LA; 11. Raymond Merrill, Sallisaw, OK.

Fourth Heat (10 laps): 1. Bill Frye, Greenbrier, AR; 2. Skip O’Neal, Red Oak, TX; 3. Ronnie Adams, Greenwood, LA; 4. Jim Bryant, Natchitoches, LA; 5. Bubba Mullins, W. Monroe, LA; 6. Rob Litton, Alexandria, LA; 7. Jimmy Gaylor, Luthersville, GA; 8. Delbert Smith, Wichita, KS; 9. Jerry Horn, Athens, TX; 10. Jon Wallace, Weatherford, TX; 11. Brad Couch, Bossier City, LA.

Fifth Heat (10 laps): 1. Keith Craft, Arkadelphia, AR; 2. Tim Crawley, Mabelville, AR; 3. Charles Randolph II, Muskogee, OK; 4. Kenny Merchant, W. Monroe, LA; 5. Ray Moore, Shreveport, LA; 6. Eric Johnson, Watsonville, CA; 7. Elizabeth Halpin-Smith, French Settlement, LA; 8. Chad Broach, Broken Bow, OK; 9. Jerry Russell, Shreveport, LA; 10. John Sliney, Colleyville, TX.

Sixth Heat (10 laps): 1. Patrick Daniel, Wills Points, LA; 2. Jeff Chanler, Minden, LA; 3. David Ashley, Zachary, LA; 4. Lee Davis, Greenwood, LA; 5. Kennith Crowe, Port Allen, LA; 6. Brock Williams, Leesville, LA; 7. Ken Schrader, Fenton, MO; 8. Michael Coleman, Tyler, TX; 9. Mike Rucker, Wichita Falls, TX; 10. Kenneth Mitchum, Strong, AR.

First Last Chance (10 laps): 1. Merchant, 2. Litton, 3. Daniel, 4. Ashley, 5. E. Johnson, 6. Ewell, 7. Goodwin, 8. Mullins, 9. Whiseant, 10. K. Taylor, 11. Horn.

Second Last Chance (10 laps): 1. Randolph, 2. Starnes, 3. Davis, 4. Schrader, 5. Bryant, 6. Lorenz, 7. Moore, 8. Halpin-Smith, 9. Mahan, 10. J. Wallace, 11. Russell, 12. Rucker.

Third Last Chance (10 laps): 1. Stolba, 2. J. Ingalls, 3. Beene, 4. Crowe, 5. B. Williams, 6. Bryant, 7. Stuart, 8. Watson, 9. Grubbs, 10. Cooper, 11. Sliney, 12. Blair.

Fourth Last Chance (10 laps): 1. J. Mitchell, 2. Cummings, 3. Brown, 4. Chandler, 5. Prince, 6. Brassfield, 7. Veuleman, 8. Mitchum, 9. Coleman, 10. Bell, 11. Ambern, 12. Couch, 13. Hottinger.

Feature (50 laps):
1. Kenny Merchant, W. Monroe, LA, $10,000
2. Jason Ingalls, Longview, TX, $5,000
3. Jeff Taylor, Cave City, AR, $3,500
4. Kelly Boen, Henderson, CO, $2,750
5. David Ashley, Zachary, LA, $2,500
6. Ronny Adams, Greenwood, LA, $2,250
7. Robbie Starnes, Baytown, TX, $2,000
8. Patrick Daniel, Wills Points, LA, $1,750
9. Bill Frye, Greenbrier, AR, $1,500
10. Ray Moore, Shreveport, LA, $1,250
11. Gary Stolba, Willow Springs, MO, $1,000
12. Keith Craft, Arkadelphia, AR, $900
13. Rob Litton, Alexandria, LA, $800
14. Tim Crawley, Mabelville, AR, $700
15. Wendall Wallace, Batesvillel, AR, $700
16. Jon Mitchell, Greenbrier, AR, $700
17. Steve Drake, San Luis Obispo, CA, $700
18. Charles Randolph II, Muskogee, OK, $700
19. Doug Ingalls, Longview, TX, $700
20. Skip O’Neal, Red Oak, TX, $700
21. Garrett Durrett, Simsboro, LA, $700

Lap Leaders: 1-12 Wallace, 13-50 Merchant.

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