Dennis "Rambo" Franklin heads to a $10,000 victory in Ocala.
What won the race: In a makeup event from November, third-starting Dennis Franklin of Gaffney, S.C., outran polesitter Kyle Bronson of Brandon, Fla., in the final circuits for a $10,000 victory in the 100-lap NeSmith Chevrolet Performance Crate Late Model World Championship.
Quotable: “My crew signaled me he was getting a right-rear,” Franklin said when asked if he was aware that Bronson had pitted for a tire change with 11 laps remaining. “I really didn’t know I lapped up to third place and was just trying to stay in rhythm, but I knew if I could stay in the racetrack for about two or three laps (on the restart) and get away from (Bronson) I’d be all right because I had a hard tire on. Man, my car was just so good, it could drive anywhere on the racetrack.”
Key notes: Franklin sat out Saturday afternoon's racing program to put his full focus on the evening's big-money World Championship event that event was held over from Nov. 20-21, 2015. ... Qualifying and heat races for the World Championship were completed in November before rain arrived, with consolation races and the feature contested Saturday. ... Bronson, who scored a $3,000 victory in the afternoon program, chose to pit running second with 11 laps to go because his right-rear tire had sealed over and he realized only three cars remained on the lead lap. \"Rambo was so good I didn’t have a chance to pass him,\" Bronson said, \"so I decided to gamble and take a shot.\"
On the move: Third-place finisher Cale Conley came from eighth; Matt Henderson charged from 23rd to finish sixth.
Winner's sponsors: Franklin's Longhorn Chassis is owned by Carl Sherwood and sponsored by M&W Transport, Nichols Plumbing, ASA Performance, C&D Properties and Hoosier Racing Tires.
Car count: 36
Fast qualifier: Kyle Bronson
Time: 14.876 seconds
Polesitter: Kyle Bronson
Heat race winners: Kyle Bronson, Chase Edge, Dennis Franklin, Keith Nosbisch, , , ,
Consolation race winners: Bryan Bernhardt, Blake Spencer, ,