Sept 9, 2006 Devil's Bowl

Mesquite, TX (Sept 9) - Danny Zimmerman captured his fourth straight late model feature Saturday night as the 2006 points championship season came to a finish. Terry Carter won his second straight street stock main. Travis Rilat topped the super sprints and Clyde Dunn, Jr. topped the USA Modifieds.

Brandon Ewrin earned his first super sprint title at Devil's Bowl, Johnny Philpot, Jr. claimed the street stock crown. Clyde Dunny, Jr. topped the USA modifieds for the second time in three years and Darren Ellis took the late model championship for the second straight season.

When David Roberts chose to start the late model feature on the back, that moved Danny Zimmerman up to the outside of the second row for the start of the 15 lapper. It didn't take the driver of the Pro Muffler #11X long to get to the front, just three turns. Pacing the race from start to finish, Zimmerman had no trouble maintaining his lead as the cars charged around the half-mile oval. Two cautions slowed the race, including one when Bob Ewell went around in the middle of the pack. Luckily, everyone was able to avoid his stopped car.

Darren Ellis took the second spot after a handful of laps, but Zimmerman had a large lead. Ewell's spin closed that gap, however on the final restart, Zimmerman was able to pull away to a comfortable lead, which he maintained to the checkered flag. His fourth straight late model victory to closed out the 2006 points season. Ellis finished second in the Race Ragz/ Adams Fence #21, with Ronnie Welborn taking the third spot in the Baxter Motorsports / T&D Outdoor Supply #20. Sloppy Hogg in the #ZZ and Jack Ambern in the ABT Transmissions/ Woody Weaver Pharmacy #2 completed the top five.

Zimmerman and David Roberts won the heat races. Bob Ewell topped the trophy dash in the Longhorn Urethane Contractors / Rick Sisk Performance Machine #85.

Gayle Jones had the pole for the street stock feature and pulled ahead as the green flag dropped on the 16 car field. She kept the Big Dog Signs/ Auto Serve #42 on the bottom line to hold the lead for four laps. However Terry Carter was able to find a car width of room under Jones in the fourth turn as that lap ended.

Side by side at the line, Carter was able to dive deeper into turn one and take the lead. Marcus Baxter also got under Jones on the next lap.

The caution flag flew twice on the ninth lap. Carter had no trouble pulling away in his A-1 Services/ Dunn Motorsports/ Mike Malone #35, with Baxter in second. The outside restart position cost Jones as she fell back to sixth in the final finish. Johnny Philpot, Jr. took third in the Riddell Plumbing/ M&M Machine #12.

With Carter leading by four or five car lengths to the checkered flag, Philpot was able to get past Baxter just before the white flag flew for the runner-up position. Baxter was third in the Baxter Motorsports / T&D Outdoor Supply #7. Wally Beaty in the Heine Drywall/ Fireman's Chimney Sweep #75 in fourth and Kevin Leach in the #151 was fifth.

Travis Rilat with car owner Jeff Lawrence after Travis' second super sprint feature win of the season. (Photo by Linda Fields)

Travis Rilat had a weekend off from his traveling sprint car series, and made his second start of the season in the Ed Lawrence & Sons Painting Contractors #6X - with the same results as before - a victory in the super sprint feature.

The race was stopped after the first lap when Dan Burk flipped in turn one in his #49. He was uninjured in the crash.

Leader David Gailley in the Stanley Commission/ Smiley's #24 got a great restart and pulled away, however Todd Evans was charging in the Sports Clips #14E and got under Gailley in turn four on the fourth lap to take the lead.

Evans caught heavy traffic by the seventh lap and the leaders were working past slower cars on a rough track. In the heavy traffic Rilat closed the gap on Gailley and took second. On the 11th circuit, he had closed on Evans and took the lead coming out of turn two.

Rilat maintained his advantage to take the checkered flag for his second win in two starts this year. Evans was second, with Charlie Brown taking third on the last lap in the Citi-Limit Storage/ City Blues #72. Gailley was fourth with Bill Waller fifth in the Lubrication Engineers / Brenco Industrial Services #53.

Evans and Justin Spoerl in the McDowell Racing / Allard Machine #6 won the heat races.

Brandon Erwin with engine builder Gary Willeford and Derald Kannady to celebrate his first super sprint championship at Devil's Bowl. (Photo by Linda Fields)

Brandon Erwin's first super sprint championship at Devil's Bowl was a nail bitter to the end. the Gary's Machine Shop/ Forney Car Wash #5E team missed the opening night of the points season, but took the victory the next week. However, the super sprints was an extremely competitive class all season. 12 different drivers went to victory lane in 19 races this year. It was mid-July before Martin Edwards became the first driver to win more than one feature.

Erwin was in contention for the win every week, but the point average system had him starting on the outside of the fifth row most evenings. But steady top five finishes, and winning nine heat races built a comfortable points lead.

Loyd Clevenger was second in points much of the year with consistent top five finishes. That consistency started to pay off in the final month.

Erwin flipped his car in August, and a couple nights where he was unable to break the top ten allowed Clevenger to close within 110 points on the final night. Clevenger finished two spots ahead of Erwin in the final heat race to cut the margin to 90.

However Clevenger's engine had problems, and he was forced to pull out of the final feature after a lap. Erwin claimed another top 10 finish in the final race - and his first championship at Devil's Bowl.

Third in points behind Clevenger was Dale Wester with Todd Evans and Martin Edwards taking fourth and fifth in the points race.

Johnny Philpot Jr. won his first street stock championship at Devil's Bowl in 2006. ( Photo by Linda Fields)

Johnny Philpot, Jr.'s 2006 season started out with a bit of frustration as defending champion Trandel White won the first two features. But the team of the Riddell Plumbing/ J&S Direct Doors/ M&M Machine #12 never gave up. Philpot claimed two feature wins in mid-May and was soon in the points lead.

Consistent to five top five and top ten finishes were the way to the title. Philpot won nine of 22 heat races during the season, and finished in the top 10 in 20 of the 22 races. 18 of those were top five finishes and eight were feature wins.

Philpot built an unchallengeable lead in the heat of the summer, and it took some intense work by the team to get the car ready to race some weekends.

Even with a comfortable points lead, Philpot never slowed, winning the feature three weeks before the season ended and taking second on the final night.

Jason Trevathan had three feature wins and finished second in points, with White taking third. Marcus Baxter improved all season to take fourth in points, with Wally Beaty fifth.

For Darren Ellis - it is two late model championships in a row. ( Photo by Linda Fields)

Darren Ellis claimed his second straight late model championship the same way he accomplished the feat last season - a perfect handling race car.

Night after night, Ellis' Adams Fence/ Race Ragz #21 was obviously the smoothest car on the track. As other drivers fought to control their mounts in the turns, Ellis never bobbled, flying through the turns like he was on a wire.

Ellis won the opening night feature, but Ronnie Welborn started the season out strong with three wins in the next four races.

But June and July were when Ellis built his points lead with a string of five straight feature wins. Whether the track was dry or heavy didn't matter to Ellis, he went to the front every week.

The driver of the Adams Fence / Race Ragz #21 finished the season with 12 heat race wins and nine feature victories. Finishing 17 of 20 features in the top five sealed the second straight championship for Ellis. Welborn was second in points with Jack Ambern, Jr. taking third in points.

Danny Zimmerman's strong run of four straight feature wins in the last four races served notice that he will be a contender for the title next season - finishing fourth in points this year. Ronnie Long took the fifth place in points despite racing only 13 of 20 nights this year.

The victory and championship were the perfect way to cap a difficult year for Clyde Dunn, Jr.. ( Photo by Linda Fields)

The USA modified season was also a tight race for the championship. Ten different drivers visited victory land in the 21 race points season. The car counts and the competitive level of the cars put every driver in the top 10, except Rick McCommas, into a B main at least once in the season.

No driver was able to start all 21 features, with Steve Sickels and Charles Lasater making the most A mains - 19 each.

Though Dunn won the opening night, there were three other feature winners before Dunn became the first two time winner in late May.

The middle of the summer was a difficult time for Dunn, with Rick McCommas taking the points lead, and Colby Smith moving into position to take the top spot.

The large fields, close racing and fast track contributed to all the points contenders being involved in race ending crashes at times in the final half dozen races.

Dunn took two feature wins in August to regain the points lead in the Smiley's Race Car Products/ Martinez Restaurant/ Young Chevrolet #88.

Dunn's victory on the final night was his seventh of the year, one of his 15 top five finishes in 18 races this year. Rick McCommas was second in points with three feature wins, and Colby Smith was third with four victories. Randy Kirkland and Jason Troutman were fourth and fifth in points with one feature win each this year.