DayMotorSports.com Race Recap: Davis, Franklin, White win at Grayson County

BELLS, Texas (June 22, 2024) — Red-hot Late Model newcomer Cory Davis, open-wheel veteran Eric Franklin and Stock car master Rodney White all won feature races in their respective divisions, as officials hosted a full card of racing on Saturday night at Grayson County Speedway. 

Davis completed a weekend sweep of American Crate Late Model Series (ACLMS) action after winning in just his second time out at Hunt County on Friday night; Franklin powered to victory in a talent-filled affair for IMCA Southern SportMods; while White prevailed in the Factory Stock feature. 

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Mason Adams (Eco Mods); Jarrod Godbey (Economy Stocks); Charles Armstrong III (Mod Lites); and Cameron Nottingham (Jr. Limited Modified) were also feature winners on a perfect night for racing in North Texas. 

Davis, of Seminole TX, started second on a 19-car grid, drove to the outside of Dennie Gieber coming off Turn 4 to take command at lap six and pulled away to earn top honors. Gieber crossed the stripe in second, while Chase Neill drove all the way up from 14th at the start to fill out the podium. 

Austin Theiss (Brenham) and Beau Begnaud (Spring) completed the top five. 

“I just tried to committ to that top lane,” Davis said in Victory Lane. “I was looking for the fast line, and knew early on we found it, so I just needed to stay right where I was at. I want to thank all of our great sponsors, my guys back in the trailer, my wife for being here, and just everybody who helps out.”

Gieber was pleased with his efforts, but knew he left a little something on the table. 

“I was kind of a sitting duck down there on the bottom,” he said candidly after the feature. “Corey found that top before I could; I still didn’t know how good it was up there at the time. I saw how fast he was up there, and knew we picked the wrong line. Congratulations to Corey; he did a great job.” 

Neill capped a solid weekend outing with an impressive drive towards the front, and was very grateful. 

“The fans out here are great; they’re loud and enthusiastic,” he said. “I would like to thank my Dad and our great sponsors for making this possible, as well as my buddies who came out to help, Kyle, AJ, and everyone who helps me out with this car. We struggled early, but ended up making something out of it.”   

Finishing sixth through 10th in the American Crate Late Model Series A Main were Chase Raymond, Carson Jenkins, Kody Hardage, Donnie Shipp and Robert McCutcheon. Four cautions slowed the pace, (laps 4, 12, 13, 28) all for minor incidents. Davis’ margin of victory was a comfortable 1.862 seconds.  

Davis, Jenkins and Joe Sheddan won their respective qualifying Heats earlier in the evening. Davis took home a cool $1,500 for his efforts, making it a noteworthy $3,000 overall haul for the weekend. 

Franklin, of Royse City, started 10th on a slim 10-car grid, drove to the inside of Josh Landers with just one lap remaining and hung on to earn top honors. Shawn Marquez Jr. drove up from seventh at the start to claim the runner-up position, while Landers settled for third after starting in the ninth position.  

Cary Stephens (Bells) and Brandon Sexton (Colbert) rounded out the top five. 

Finishing sixth through 10th in the IMCA Southern SportMod A Main were Bryce Bumpass, Robert Schulz, Aubrey Kidd, Landon Capps (who won Friday night at HCR) and Clinton Hull. Three cautions slowed the pace (laps 0, 6, 15), all for minor incidents. 

White, of Ector, started on the pole of his Factory Stock feature and led all 20 laps in fine style. The famed No. 38DD checked out on the field, much as he has done numerous times in his stellar career. Jeff White crossed the stripe in second, while Sonny Schoffen filled out the podium. 

Buba Long (Sherman) and Richard George Jr. (Dodd City) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. 

Finishing sixth through 10th in the Factory Stock feature were Justin White, Grant Ratcliff, Chris Parks, Shane Fretwell and Jeremy Doyle. Two cautions slowed the pace, both for quick spins. White’s margin of victory was a huge 3.701 seconds, as he was pretty much in his own race the entire distance.

This week’s program at Grayson County Speedway drew an impressive 101 entries spread across seven divisions. Led by the popular Eco Mods with 20 and visiting Late Models with 19, there was ample talent in the pit area on Saturday evening. 

Fans were treated to plenty of great racing across the board. Officials cranked out 16 Heats and seven entertaining features without significant delay. Car counts across North Texas continue to be strong as the 2024 season approached the halfway mark. 

You can replay every lap of Saturday night’s ACLMS program at Grayson County Speedway with a Membership at RaceON.com. Newly re-branded with a commitment to promote local racing, RaceON (formerly RaceON) has over 450 Live events on tap in 2024 from several states. 

RaceON.com Staff Writer. Photo by Hix Photography