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

May 20, 2015

THE SALUTE TO THE ARMED FORCES NATIONALS DRAWS A QUALITY FIELD OF DRIVERS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                CARTERSVILLE, GA – Traditionally, it’s one of the most popular weekends of the season for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division, as it embarks on its Annual Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals with a pair of Mississippi $2,000-to-win races this weekend that always draw a quality field of drivers from across the country.

The first race will be the Salute To The Navy 40 at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS on Saturday night and then it’s the Salute To The Air Force 40 on Sunday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS.  These two races will feature the top National, Regional, and Local drivers battling it out for bragging rights.

In the three year history of the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals, the locals have ruled the roost and one of them has swept the weekend at the two tracks.  The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring drivers will once again face one of the toughest contingents of local favorites in Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2015 season.

Even among the National travelers, the competition this season in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series has been tight and intense with the first eight races showing eight different faces in the Winner’s Circle.  It has not been uncommon to be in Victory Lane on one night, and on the outside looking in come feature race time the next night.

Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN is the defending and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion, and the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee leads the point standings going into the Salute To The Armed Forces National in quest of his unprecedented third straight title.

Johnson is fresh off his first win of the season on May 2 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL and his 26th series-leading NeSmith Late Model career win.  Johnson holds a healthy 62-point lead over the series 2011 Rookie of the Year Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL. 

Both drivers know a big point lead can vanish in a hurry over a two-race weekend, so both will be bringing their “A” game to stay ahead if you’re Johnson, and to gain if you’re Edge.  Like Johnson, Edge has a win this season at Waycross Motor Speedway in Waycross, GA on April 10.  While Edge focuses on the top of the points list, there is a quartet of Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year Candidates not that far behind him.

Ryan King of Seymour, TN had never traveled much racing-wise outside of his East Tennessee base during his brief career up until the night before the 2015 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series began in late January. 

After making a last minute decision to hit the road and run the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, King has been steady and impressive racing at tracks he’s never seen before.  King is currently third in the point standings, and leads the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year point standings.

Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN is another first-time traveler with the NeSmith Late Models, and he has been making a forward climb in the point standings.  Henderson will arrive at the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals fourth in the NeSmith National point standings, and second in the Rookie of the Year points.

Another first-time traveler and ambitious driver that is fifth in the NeSmith Dirt Late Model Series point standings and third in the Rookie points is Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL.  Crane is a former asphalt racer who is now under the tutelage of veteran dirt late model driver and now crew chief Shep Lucas.  Crane will debut a new Clint Smith-prepared Rocket Chassis this weekend.

Henderson and Crane are tied for the fourth spot in the NeSmith Late Model National standings by points, but Henderson holds the tie-breaker with a sweet Valentine’s Day win this season at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, GA on February 14.

Cody Martin of Christiana, TN is sixth in the NeSmith Late Model point standings and fourth in the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year points.  Martin continues to improve with each race and double racing weekends like the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals give Martin the seat time he needs to stay in the Rookie of the Year hunt.

Cale Conley of Vienna, WV is seventh in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings after his day job forced him to miss one of the first eight races so far this season, and that will also cause him to miss the opening night of the Salute To The Armed Forces on Saturday night in Meridian, MS.

While the rest of the cars and stars of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be power sliding around Whynot Motorsports Park, Conley will be at his other job in North Carolina driving the Tri-Star Toyota in NASCAR Xfinity Series action at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

After that race is completed, we may see Conley hop on an airplane to Columbus, MS to compete on Sunday night with the NeSmith Late Models on the Black Ice at Magnolia Motor Speedway.  Conley is fresh off a fifth-place finish at Talladega Short Track on Saturday night, May 2, a race he said he said he had more fun at than he did earlier that day across the street at the big track.

Three drivers in the second ten of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings will be looking for good runs in the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals in an effort to break into one of the points fund-paying Top 10 positions on the points list.  This trio of drivers run both the National Tour and the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series.

Veteran dirt late model racer, “Dr. Dirt” Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS is currently 12th in the NeSmith Late Model standings.  Stokes has finished in the Top 10 of the NeSmith Late Model National point standings for the past five straight seasons.  At the seasoned age of 61, Stokes is still winning races.

Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL is two points behind Stokes in the 13th spot of the NeSmith point standings, and is one of two drivers that have taken more than one win in the Salute To the Armed Forces Nationals and to win races at both tracks.  J-Mac won the Salute To The Navy 40 at Whynot Motorsports Park in 2012, and he is the defending champion of the Salute To The Air Force 40 at Magnolia Motor Speedway.

Since he began building his own brand of chassis in 2012 with the High Roller Race Car, McRee is in search of a new record in 2015, and he could claim it with a sweep of the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals.  McRee is looking to become the first driver in series history to record multiple wins in four straight seasons. 

McRee has three NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division wins in both 2012 and 2013, and two wins last season.  Only one driver has swept both races of the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals, and that was Scott Dedwylder of Vossburg, MS in 2013.

Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS is 20th in the NeSmith Late Model points chase and is within striking distance of a Top 10 spot in the standings with a couple of good runs in the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals.  Minga is coming off his best season ever with the NeSmith Late Model Series after finishing sixth in the point standings last season.

Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS is coming off a strong second-place finish on May 2 at Talladega Short Track, and comes into the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals with an opportunity on Sunday night to race one of his boyhood heroes, veteran Robbie Starnes of Livingston, TX in the Salute To The Air Force 40.

Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS is the defending champion of the Salute To The Navy 40 at Whynot Motorsports Park, and he then went on to finish fifth in the NeSmith Late Model National point standings.  Barrett is also good at Magnolia Motor Speedway and should be a contender at both tracks.

A host of championship drivers make up the local contingent of Whynot Motorsports Park drivers that include three-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion Lucky Keeton of Collinsville, MS, and two-time West Region Champion Jim McDuffie of Meridian, MS.

Also look for former Whynot Motorsports Park track champions Larry Murphy of Meridian, MS and Randy Boyd of Marion, MS, and the next generation of Whynot winners that include Meridian, MS drivers Casey Haney, Tim Dees and Nick Thrash.

The 2012 Salute To The Air Force 40 champion Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL will lead the strong Magnolia Motor Speedway contingent that also includes Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS, Kyle Shaw of Millport, AL, and Hunter Carroll of Columbus, MS. 

The current NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point leader Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS could also be in the mix along with Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS, Joseph Joiner of Milton, FL, the 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Noah Daspit of Kiln, MS, Cliff Williams of Star, MS, and the 2012 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Chase Washington of Houlka, MS.

Youth will also be served at the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals as a pair of drivers under the age of 18 will represent the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series.  Both 15-year-old Bryant Marsh of Corinth, MS and 17-year-old Josh Banes are NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series regulars at Whynot Motorsports Park and Magnolia Motor Speedway.

On Saturday night, the pit gate at Whynot Motorsports Park opens at 3 p.m. with NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series pre-race Registration and Technical Inspection from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  The Drivers Meeting is set for 6 p.m. and hot laps will begin at 6:30 p.m. 

                Whynot Motorsports Park is located south of Meridian, MS at 4773 J.W. Reynolds Road, Meridian, MS 39301 off State Road 19.  For more information call 601-344-3010, or visit the track web site at www.whynotmotorsportspark.com.
On Sunday at Magnolia Motor Speedway, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m. with NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Pre-Race Registration and Technical Inspection from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  The Drivers Meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with racing at 7:30 p.m.
Magnolia Motor Speedway is located west of Columbus, MS at 495 U.S. Highway 45 South, Columbus, MS  39701, just south of U.S. Highway 82.  For more information call 662-328-0376, or visit the track web site at www.magnoliadirt.com.

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.

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.  Sunoco Race Fuels is the Official Race Fuel of the NeSmith Late Models.  Panama City Cycles is the Official ATV Provider of the NeSmith Late Models.  AR Bodies is an Associate Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  NeSmith Late Model Contingency Sponsors for 2015 are CrateInsider.Com and Image Screen Printing.  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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