Donald McIntosh continued his run of success with BMS at North Georgia.
The Ultimate Super Late Model Series descended on the North Georgia Speedway on Saturday night for their season opening event of 2015. In the end, it was Georgia native Donald McIntosh who earned the $4,000 first prize as he beat out a solid field of competitors in a highly competitive race on the track located in Chatsworth, GA.
Derek Ellis got the night started off on a fast note as he set quick time in qualifying with a lap of 13.078 seconds around the third-mile clay oval. Joining Ellis in being locked into the feature lineup were Dennis Franklin, Casey Roberts, McIntosh, David Payne, Ray Cook, William Thomas, Vic Hill, Anthony Sanders and Andy Picklesimer.
Jason Welshan and Cory Hedgecock won the two B-main races that set the remainder of the starting grid for the feature.
At the start of the main event, Ellis jumped to the lead immediately with Franklin, Roberts, McIntosh and Payne in tow. But right from the outset, the racing for position was intense as drivers throughout the top-10 exchanged spots on an almost lap-by-lap basis.
On the second circuit, Franklin moved around Ellis to take the lead and then the defending Ultimate Super Late Model Series champion looked as if he might set sail and leave the field behind. But as ‘Rambo’ led the way, Payne and a fast moving Thomas moved by Ellis to claim the second and third positions respectively and proceeded to engage in a fierce battle for the runner-up spot that at one time saw them run side-by-side for four consecutive laps.
Meanwhile, Roberts and McIntosh began to march forward around the halfway mark as each passed by Ellis on their way toward the front.
But it was on lap 22 that the race’s most pivotal moment occurred. Franklin’s car suddenly slowed as he went down the back stretch and eventually stopped on track with mechanical troubles. A night that looked as if it would produce a win for the veteran driver suddenly turned to disappointment.
That opened the door for the other competitors as the race went back to green flag conditions. With Thomas running a higher line around the track than the competition, he led Payne after their fight for position briefly settled. Roberts and McIntosh, in turn, exchanged the third spot a couple of times as the field neared the ten-to-go mark in the 40-lap event.
It was after the lap 30 mark that McIntosh, who was on harder tires than his rivals, had his car come to life. On lap 28, the Blount Motorsports entry reclaimed third from Roberts. Then on lap 31, the Dawsonville, Georgia native moved by Payne for second. And just one lap later, he seized the lead away from Thomas.
The last of seven caution flags slowed the race on lap 36, but McIntosh’s chasers were unable to make a move around the leader over the final four circuits.
Feature Finish: 1. Donald McIntosh, 2. William Thomas, 3. Casey Roberts, 4. David Payne, 5. Derek Ellis, 6. Jason Welshan, 7. Vic Hill, 8. Dustin Mitchell, 9. Tod Hernandez, 10. Andy Picklesimer, 11. Anthony Sanders, 12. Doug Sanders, 13. Casey Barrow, 14. Cory Hedgecock, 15. Jeff Smith, 16. Mike McConnell, 17. Anthony Rymer, 18. Brian Ledbetter, 19. Dennis Franklin, 20. George Mashburn, 21. Aaron Ridley, 22. Bo Eaton, 23. Dwayne Dodson, 24. Ray Cook
