| BEAUCHEMIN AND DEMPSEY LEAD WIRE-TO-WIRE FOR SARA WINS AT SOUTH ALABAMA | By Thom Watson
OPP, AL: Leading the first lap proved to be very beneficial in the SARA Late Model Sportsman 125 and the SARA Modified 75 at the South Alabama Speedway in Opp, Alabama. Opp, known for their annual Rattlesnake Festival and South Alabama Speedway, known for the Rattler race in March of each year, is a long haul for most of the SARA regulars. Twenty late models started the race, while 15 Modifieds took the green flag.
Bobby Beauchemin, form Davie, Florida, made the long trip pay off as he took the SARA Late Model Sportsman 125 and led all 125 laps.
Dwayne Dempsey, from St. Petersburg, also made his long distance trip pay off as he did the same thing in the SARA Modified 75 as he led all 75 laps. Qualifying for both divisions was rained out and starting positions were based on the point standings.
Points leader, Dwayne Dempsey, started on the pole, took the lead on the first lap and went on to keep his undefeated Alabama streak intact. Dempsey, who won the SARA modified race at South Alabama Speedway in SARA's last foray into Alabama, also won a prior race in Mobile, Alabama. On long green flag runs Dempsey was able to build up sizable leads. At the checkers, the lead was over 10 car lengths. His two closest point's challengers also held their respective positions from wire-to-wire as Jamie Burrows started and finished second, with Jerry Symons doing the same for a third place finish. Burrows was never able to mount a real threat on Dempsey for the lead.
The race for second place heated up several times between Burrows and Symons battled, but Symons never could pass Burrows. Starting on lap 28 and for the next two laps, Symons challenged for the spot by trying the inside groove, but could never make it stick. Regis Hellett started in the 13th position and made a steady move to the front. Lap 48 saw Hellett move into fifth place after he battled Aric Almirola for several laps. Going into turn four, Hellett gave Almirola a slight tap in the rear and that was all the room Hellett needed for the pass. On lap 57, Hellett and Steve Hauser, Jr., started racing side-by-side and Hellett used a slower car as a pick and was able to move around Hauser on the outside of turn three on lap 59 to take over the fourth spot.
Demspey had built a 15 car lead before getting into lapped traffic that slowed him down some, but not nearly enough to allow anyone to catch up very much. Dempsey went on to a 10-car length win. Burrows, Symons, Hellett and Hauser rounded out the top five.
In the SARA Late Model Sportsman 125, points leader, Bobby Beauchemin, started on the outside pole, took the lead on the second restart, and went on to win. On the first lap, Chad Allman, who started in 10th, spun in turn one and collected six other cars in the process. Only Keith Lilley lost any laps as he headed to the pits for repairs. Jay Middleton had a long, eventful night that started on lap two. Middleton spun in turn three, then on lap 12 he went for a spin in turn one and for good measure, went for a little dirt surfing on lap 90 as he went off the track on the backstretch.
Meanwhile Beauchemin, Jason Boyd and Wayne Morris started 1-2-3 and stayed that way until lap 94. Beauchemin and Boyd would separate themselves from the rest of the pack during long green flag runs. By lap 50, they had an 8 car length lead over the third place car of Morris. On lap 55, the yellow flag flew for a spin in turn two involving Chip Shell and Brad Barkis as they were battling for the sixth spot. On the restart, Beauchemin and Boyd took off again on the field and this time Boyd made an attempt on the bottom groove on lap 76 to get up under Beauchemin in turn four. Boyd could not make it stick and by lap 83 Beauchemin had built a four-car length lead.
After a lap 93 restart, Boyd missed a gear, slowed, went high and Morris took advantage to move into second place. A red flag occurred on lap 105 when a five-car incident blocked almost the whole track in turn four. On the restart, Boyd again slowed in turn two and this time Michael Faulk tapped him in the rear, but managed to keep the third spot. Beauchemin was able to build a three-car length lead until he ran into lapped traffic on lap 119.
In a battle for the fifth position, Joe Sumasky bumped Shell and they both went into the spin cycle. SARA officials sent Sumasky to the rear, while Shell kept the number five spot. On the ensuing restart, Morris looked low in turn two to challenge for the lead, but couldn't pull it off. Coming to the line Barkis and Shell once again got together coming off turn four and both went spinning. Beauchemin went on to a three-car length win, with Morris, Boyd, Tony Amico and Brent O'Neil rounding out the top five.
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