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

August 8, 2015

DUDLEY WINS BIG AT HOME IN NeSMITH LATE MODEL RACE AT EAMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                PHENIX CITY, AL -  Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL drove the Thomason Motorsports Rocket to his first career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series victory Saturday night in front of his hometown fans at his home track East Alabama Motor Speedway.  Dudley defended his home turf, and he had some familiar company right behind him in second and third.

                Local favorite Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL finished second in the Nowell Truck Repair Warrior, and Chase Edge of nearby LaFayette, AL took the third spot in the Edge’s Gas Company Special.

                “This is big for us to win our first NeSmith race in our hometown in front of friends and family at our home track,” Dudley said.  “I was nervous leading the race because I would look up at the scoreboard under cautions knowing that there were two local guys behind me that know this track as well as I do.”

                Nowell reported after the race that he lost his brakes on lap 13, and was just trying to hang on and finish second.  He said if he had tried to challenge Dudley and make a move for the lead without brakes, it could have had disastrous results for both of them.

                Ryan King of Seymour, TN was trying to win his third straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring race, but came up three spots short, and finished fourth in the Brian King Roofing Stinger.  King was also the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race.  Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL claimed the fifth spot in the Panama City Cycles Rocket.

                Ronnie Cooper of McKenzie, TN passed more cars in his Ronnie Cooper Trucking Special than any other driver in the race.  Cooper sailed off the third turn on lap 35, but came back in the last 15 laps of the race to finish sixth.  After starting the race in the 17th spot on the grid, Cooper was appropriately named the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race.

                Chris Wilson of Crossville, TN finished seventh in the Dale’s Auto Sales Rocket and Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN took the eighth spot in the #H2 Duayne Hommel Tribute Car, the Rebel Diesel Rocket. 

The point leader and the defending and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN finished ninth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special.  The youngest driver in the race, 13-year-old Will Roland of Jasper, GA rounded out the top ten in the Roland Tire Warrior and was the Sunoco Young Gun of the Race.

Dudley turned in a “Clean Sweep” of the event, as he started off the evening with the Fast Qualifier Award after turning East Alabama Motor Speedway in 16.050 seconds to earn the pole position for the 50-lap main event.

Dudley took the lead at the start of the race followed by Nowell, Edge, Shep Lucas of McKenzie, AL in the Lucas Farms Special, and Wilson.  Dudley reached the cars on the tail end of the lead lap by the tenth tour, but he didn’t have to stay in traffic long, as the first of six Caution flags came out on lap12 for debris on the track.

Lucas passed Edge for the third spot on the Dixie-Style Double-File restart, but Edge came roaring right back around Lucas to reclaim the third spot on lap 13 with an inside move in turn three.  King made his first appearance of the race in the top five on lap 13 when he worked his way around Wilson.

Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS stalled the Lamar Auto Salvage on the front straightaway on lap 22.  Dudley led the field to the restart with Nowell, Edge, Lucas, King, Wilson, Cody Martin of Christiana, TN in the Martin Motorsports Warrior, Cooper, Cody Smith of Holt, FL in the Smith’s Performance Rocket, and Dylan Knowles of Lanett, AL in the LSK Enterprises Rocket doubled up behind him.

King stepped to the outside and drove around Lucas in turn two to take the fourth spot on lap 25.  Dudley once again encountered lapped traffic on lap 33, but the caution flag was once again his friend on lap 35 when Cooper sailed off the high side of turn three and into the darkness to light up the yellow bulb for the third time.

Dudley kept Nowell, Edge, and King behind him after the restart, as the top four cars began to pull away from Lucas in the fifth spot.  Martin spun in turn two on lap 43 while running ninth to bring out the fourth caution flag.  It was a single-file restart within ten laps to go, as Dudley led Nowell, Edge, King, Lucas, Wilson, Crane, Smith, Henderson and Cooper.

When the field went back to green, Henderson went to the top shelf of the track and began moving forward in the field.  On lap 46, Henderson came off the fourth turn on the high side and pulled alongside Lucas to challenge for fifth.  The two cars got locked together on the front stretch, and came to a grinding halt in turn one.

Dudley was once again up to the challenge of a restart on lap 46, but he would have to do it one more time, as the final caution flag of the race came out on lap 48 when Brandon Hood of Fort Deposit, AL stalled the D&K Precast Trak-Star in turn two.  When the field took the white flag, Smith sailed off the first turn, but the cars still on the track raced back to the checkered flag.

Dudley took the win with a .555 second margin of victory over Nowell, and there were 15 cars on the lead lap with 18 cars still running at the end of the race.  The next race for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be a 60-lap $10,000-to-win race at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, GA on August 21-22.

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 15 AT EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN PHENIX CITY, AL ON 8/8/15:

POS        STRT     CAR #    DRIVER                               HOMETOWN                     LAPS     $ WON 
1.             1              55           Montana Dudley                 Phenix City, AL                  50           $2,500
2.             3              55n         Terrance Nowell                                Phenix City, AL                  50           $1,250
3.             5              18           Chase Edge                          LaFayette, AL                     50           $975
4.             7              30           Ryan King (R)                     Seymour, TN                       50           $825
5.             12           10           Ryan Crane (R)                   Panama City, FL                50           $775
6.             17           10c         Ronnie Cooper                    McKenzie, TN                     50           $550
7.             4              10w        Chris Wilson                       Crossville, TN                     50           $500
8.             19           H2          Matt Henderson (R)           Loudon, TN                         50           $575
9.             10           5              Ronnie Johnson                  Chattanooga, TN                50           $525
10.          14           22           Will Roland (Y)                  Jasper, GA                           50           $375
11.          13           54           Richie Beasley                    Terry, MS                            50           $350
12.          16           14           Will Herrington                 Cochran, GA                       50           $300
13.          8              66d         Dylan Knowles                    Lanett, AL                            50           $280
14.          6              21m        Cody Martin (R) Christiana, TN                    50           $385
15.          21           6              Brandon Hood                    Fort Deposit, AL 50           $250
16.          9              3              Cody Smith                          Holt, FL                                49           $240
17.          18           19           Marcus Minga                    Shannon, MS                       49           $345
18.          11           5d           Rodgerick Dykes                Smith Station, AL               49           $200
19.          20           121         Michael Blount                   Sumrall, MS                        47           $200
20.          2              57           Shep Lucas                           McKenzie, AL                     46           $200
21.          15           21n         Joe Noojin                            Boaz, AL                              30           $200

ENTRIES:  30
FAST QUALIFIER:  Dudley, 16.050 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  None
LEAD CHANGES:  None
LAP LEADER:  Dudley, 1-50
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  King
SUNOCO YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE:  Roland
BEYEA HEADERS HARD CHARGER AWARD:  Cooper (started 17th and finished 6th)
INTEGRA SHOCKS FIFTH-PLACE AWARD:  Crane
CRATE INSIDER.COM SIXTH-PLACE AWARD:  Cooper
GRESHAM RACE PARTS SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD:  Wilson
IMAGE SCREEN PRINTING NINTH-PLACE AWARD:  Johnson
AR BODIES TENTH-PLACE AWARD:  Roland
CAUTIONS:  6
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  .555 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  37 Minutes and 41.520 Seconds
NEXT RACE:  August 21-22, Golden Isles Speedway, Brunswick, GA, 60-laps, $10,000-to-win

QUALIFYING:

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 8/8/15:

1. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 1,282
2. 30 Ryan King (R) – 1,184
3. 18 Chase Edge – 1,180
4. H2 Matt Henderson (R) – 1,126
5. 10 Ryan Crane (R) – 1,072
6. 21m Cody Martin (R) – 988
7. 19 Marcus Minga – 814
8. 5d Rodgerick Dykes – 552
9. 14 Cale Conley – 482
10. 87 Walker Arthur – 464
11. 14c Tyler Clem (R/Y) – 438
12. 25 Justin McRee – 432
13. 55 Montana Dudley – 380
14. 22 Will Roland (Y) – 374
15. 33b Eric Cooley – 370
16. 4 Jeremy Faircloth – 356
17. 19t William Thomas – 348
18. 21n Joe Noojin – 338
19. 2x Nick Lyons – 332
20. 11 Cruz Skinner (Y) - 310

R – Denotes Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year Candidate

Y – Sunoco Young Guns 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.  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, Integra Racing Shocks, Image Screen Printing, and Gresham Race Parts.  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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