NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release:  Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157

February 15, 2015

DYKES IS FIFTH DIFFERENT NeSMITH LATE MODEL WINNER IN FIRST FIVE RACES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                BRUNSWICK, GA – Rodgerick Dykes of Smith Station, AL drove the Braswell Bodies Warrior to a clean sweep on Sunday night in night two of the East Coast Battle Royal for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Golden Isles Speedway.  In taking his first career NeSmith Late Model win, Dykes became the fifth different winner in the first five races in 2015.

                Dykes led all 50 laps of the main event after earning the pole position for the race after setting Fast Time among the 29 entrants with a lap around the 4/10-mile clay oval in 16.377 seconds.  Dykes was never challenged for the lead, but you couldn’t convince him of that.

                “I kept waiting for someone to pull up alongside me, or something to happen to the race car,” Dykes said.  “Everything that happened tonight was just too good to be true!  I kept hearing noises like something was getting ready to break, or for a wheel to fall off, but it didn’t.  I sure was glad to see that checkered flag because I was really nervous those last few laps.”

                Dykes carried a 1.140 second margin of victory to the checkered flag over the second-place finisher Corey Gordon of Charlotte, NC in the RGS Products Special.  Chesley Dixon of Swainsboro, GA made a late-race charge to take the third spot in the Central Fence Company Special.  Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL was fourth in the Edge’s Gas Company Special.

                William Thomas of Phenix City, AL finished fifth in the Save More Special and NeSmith Late Model point leader Walker Arthur of Forest, VA drove the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Special to a sixth-place finish.  Jeremy Faircloth of Swainsboro, GA was seventh in the LJR Forestry Warrior.

                The defending and two-time NeSmith Late Model National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN drove the NeSmith Chevrolet Special to an eighth-place finish.  Arthur now leads Johnson in the NeSmith Late Model point standings by 72 points after the first five point races.

                Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL started 18th in the Panama City Cycle Trak-Star and finished ninth to earn the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race Award and the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race Award.  Robert Diekemper of Bloomingdale, GA rounded out the top ten in the Chatham Classic Homes Special.

                In other preliminary action, the two ten-lap B-Main Races were won by Jimmy Schiltz of Hickory, NC in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special and Faircloth.  The racing program was a twilight show that started in the bright sunshine and ended under the lights.

                Dykes took the lead at the start of the race followed by Edge, Gordon, Dixon, and Arthur.  On lap two, Arthur and Thomas drove by Dixon to take over the fourth and fifth spots respectively.  Thomas was able to get by Arthur for the fourth spot on lap 19.  The field raced hard for the first 20 laps before Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL spun his Thomason Motorsports Rocket in turn two.

                The first of five caution periods saw Dykes leading with Edge, Gordon, Thomas, Arthur, Dixon, Johnson, Cecil Eunice of Blackshear, GA in the Ace Pole Company Special, Ryan King of Seymour, TN in the Brian King Roofing Stinger, and Faircloth doubled up behind him for the “Dixie-Style” double file restart. 

                Gordon was quick to make a move on Edge to take the second spot when the green flag came out, and Thomas also passed Edge to take the third spot on lap 22.  Thomas’ move was negated when the second caution flag came out on lap 22 when Schiltz spun in turn one, and then the third yellow flag was unfurled on the restart when Joshua Bishop of Statesboro, GA spun the Augusta Industrial Special.

                The top ten running order for the double-file restart behind the leader Dykes was Gordon, Edge, Thomas, Dixon, Arthur, Faircloth, King, Johnson, and Diekemper.  The field settled in for the next ten laps until the yellow caution bulb was fired up for the fourth time in the race when Mitchell Coble of Mt. Airy, NC stalled the CVR Race Cars Special in turn four.

                Dykes led Gordon, Edge, Thomas, Dixon, Arthur, Faircloth, Johnson, Cale Conley of Vienna, WV in the AAA General Contractors Special and Eunice down the green flag.  Dixon made a big move climbing from fifth to third, getting by Thomas and Edge, who dropped back to fourth and fifth respectively.

                Dixon cleared Thomas on the outside going into turn one, and then drove under Edge using the inside groove coming off the second turn.  The final caution flag of the race came out on lap 41 when Cody Martin of Christiana, TN spun the Martin Motorsports Warrior in turn four.  With the race being inside ten laps to go, Dykes brought the field down for a single-file restart.

                In the ten lap dash to the checkered flag, Dykes was able to open up a lead over Gordon.  Arthur got by Faircloth for the sixth spot, and Crane hustled up into the top ten, taking the checkered flag in the ninth spot.

                The next two races for the NeSmith Late Models will be on April 10 and April 11 at Waycross Motor Speedway in Waycross, GA.  The April 10 race will be a 40-lap $2,000-to-win race, and the April 11 show will be  50 laps and $2,500-to-win.  The two races will be Rounds 6 and 7 of the 2015 NeSmith Late Model season.

For more information and rules about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at NeSmith Racing.  Becoming a fan of the NeSmith Racing Facebook page will make you eligible for special prizes that will be given away each month.  You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 5 AT GOLDEN ISLES SPEEDWAY IN BRUNSWICK, GA ON 2/15/15:

POS        STRT     CAR #    DRIVER                               HOMETOWN                     LAPS     $ WON 
1.             1              5d           Rodgerick Dykes                Smith Station, AL               50           $2,500
2.             2              23           Corey Gordon                     Charlotte, NC                      50           $1,250
3.             4              3              Chesley Dixon                     Swainsboro, GA                  50           $850
4.             3              18           Chase Edge                          LaFayette, AL                     50           $825
5.             6              19           William Thomas                                Phenix City, AL                  50           $650
6.             5              87           Walker Arthur                    Forest, VA                            50           $675
7.             12           4              Jeremy Faircloth               Swainsboro, GA                  50           $500
8.             9              5              Ronnie Johnson                  Chattanooga, TN                50           $575
9.             18           10           Ryan Crane (R)                   Panama City, FL                50           $525
10.          13           48           Robert Diekemper             Bloomingdale, GA             50           $375
11.          19           14           Cale Conley                         Vienna, WV                         50           $475
12.          7              55           Montana Dudley                 Phenix City, AL                  50           $300
13.          16           07           Gib Gibbons                        Manning, SC                        50           $280
14.          20           2c            Joey Coulter                        Concord, NC                        50           $260
15.          8              30           Ryan King (R)                     Seymour, TN                       50           $375
16.          21           9              Ches Chester                        Twin City, GA                     50           $240
17.          11           24           Jimmy Schiltz                     Hickory, NC                        50           $220
18.          10           22           Cecil Eunice                        Blackshear, GA                  50           $200
19.          14           21m        Cody Martin (R) Christiana, TN                    39           $325
20.          22           77           Charlie Flowers                  Hortense, GA                       30           $200
21.          15           16           Mitchell Coble                    Mt. Airy, NC                        29           $200
22.          17           J1           Joshua Bishop                     Statesboro, GA                    21           $200
23.          23           1n           Jordy Nipper                       Gray, GA                              21           $200
24.          24           K3          Jamey Smith                       Purvis, MS                           3              $200

ENTRIES:  29
FAST QUALIFIER:  Dykes, 16.377
PROVISIONALS:  None
LEAD CHANGES:  None
LAP LEADERS:  Dykes, 1-50
BEYEA HEADERS HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE:  Crane (started 18th and finished 9th)
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Crane
CAUTIONS:  5
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  1.140 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  37 Minutes and 13.834 Seconds

QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):

POS

CAR #

DRIVER

HOMETOWN

CHASSIS

LAP 1

LAP 2

TIME

1

5d

Rodgerick Dykes

Smith Station, AL

Warrior

16.620

16.377

16.377

2

23

Corey Gordon

Charlotte, NC

Barry Wright

16.717

16.431

16.431

3

18

Chase Edge

LaFayette, AL

Mastersbilt

16.715

16.454

16.454

4

3

Chesley Dixon

Swainsboro, GA

Barry Wright

16.544

16.662

16.544

5

87

Walker Arthur

Forest, VA

Mastersbilt

17.005

16.547

16.547

6

19

William Thomas

Phenix City, AL

Longhorn

16.565

16.653

16.565

7

55

Montana Dudley

Phenix City, AL

Rocket

16.587

16.836

16.587

8

30

Ryan King - R

Seymour, TN

Stinger

17.006

16.599

16.599

9

5

Ronnie Johnson

Chattanooga, TN

Mastersbilt

16.614

16.624

16.614

10

22

Cecil Eunice

Blackshear, GA

Mastersbilt

16.985

16.653

16.653

11

H2

Matt Henderson - R

Loudon, TN

Rocket

17.110

16.670

16.670

12

4

Jeremy Faircloth

Swainsboro, GA

Warrior

16.789

16.684

16.684

13

J1

Joshua Bishop

Statesboro, GA

Newman

16.908

16.688

16.688

14

21m

Cody Martin - R

Christiana, TN

Warrior

16.850

16.689

16.689

15

24

Jimmy Schiltz

Hickory, NC

DWB

17.169

16.745

16.745

16

07

Gib Gibbons

Manning, SC

Rocket

17.546

16.755

16.755

17

16

Mitchell Coble

Mt. Airy, NC

CVR

17.399

16.806

16.806

18

2c

Joey Coulter

Concord, NC

Rocket

17.139

16.902

16.902

19

48

Robert Diekemper

Bloomingdale, GA

Barry Wright

16.927

17.026

16.927

20

10

Ryan Crane - R

Panama City, FL

Trak-Star

17.242

16.956

16.956

21

45

Damon Flowers

Hortense, GA

Barry Wright

17.406

16.956

16.956

22

77

Charlie Flowers

Hortense, GA

Barry Wright

17.205

17.013

17.013

23

1n

Jordy Nipper

Gray, GA

Newman

17.190

17.125

17.125

24

K3

Jamey Smith

Purvis, MS

Mastersbilt

17.290

17.336

17.290

25

14

Cale Conley

Vienna, WV

Pierce

17.451

17.412

17.412

26

19

Trey Wood - Y

Newnan, GA

Warrior

17.920

18.030

17.920

27

15

Jason Britton - R

Alexander City, AL

Pierce

18.388

18.223

18.223

28

9

Ches Chester

Twin City, GA

Barry Wright

16.824

16.625

DQ/LT

29

52

Ryan Carter - Y

Blackshear, GA

Larry Shaw

NT

NT

NT

B-MAINS (Top 7 Transfer To Main Event):

                1ST B-MAIN:  1. Schiltz; 2. Diekemper; 3. Coble; 4. Bishop; 5. Conley; 6. Chester; 7. Nipper; 8. Henderson (R); 9. Britton (R); 10. D. Flowers.

                2ND B-MAIN:  1. Faircloth; 2. Martin (R); 3. Gibbons; 4. Crane (R); 5. Coulter; 6. C. Flowers; 7. Smith; 8. Wood (Y); 9. Carter (Y) DNS.

NeSMITH LATE MODEL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 2/15/15:

1. 87 Walker Arthur – 464
2. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 392
3. 30 Ryan King (R) – 366
4. 18 Chase Edge – 362
5. 10 Ryan Crane (R) – 346
6. 14 Cale Conley – 340
7. 21m Cody Martin (R) – 294
8. H2 Matt Henderson (R) – 280
9. 58 Mark Whitener – 268
10. 14c Tyler Clem (R/Y) – 264
11. 111 Max Blair – 246
12. 1 Johnny Stokes – 244
13. 66 Jake Knowles – 228
14. 25 Justin McRee – 216
15. 27 Michael Lake (Y) – 208
16. 23 Corey Gordon – 188
17. 4 Joe Mike – 186
17. RJ1 Jacob Hawkins – 186
19. 19 William Thomas – 184
20. 4f Jeremy Faircloth – 176
20. 5d Rodgerick Dykes - 176

R – Denotes Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year Candidate
Y – Denotes Young Gun Challenge Series Candidate

 

NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is the nation’s number one GM Powertrain and Performance Dealer six years running, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast.  Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  RockAuto.com is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  Racecar Engineering is the Official Parts Supplier of the NeSmith Late Models.  Beyea Headers is the NeSmith Late Model Hard Charger Sponsor.  Renegade Race and Performance Fuels are a series Associate Sponsor and fuel supplier.  Schaeffer’s Oil Presented By Chad Wallace and Heather Newsome is the Official Oil of the NeSmith Late Models.  AR Bodies is an Associate Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  NeSmith Late Model Contingency Sponsors for 2015 are Dominator Race Products, Stealth Racing Carburetors, Modern Images, Mike Custom Tanks, Schoenfeld Headers, Kinser Air Filters, Performance Rod & Custom, and David Smith Carburetors.  2015 Chassis Sponsors are Trak-Star Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, TNT Race Cars, and CVR Race Cars. 

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