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

September 22, 2014

NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES WEEK 26 ROUND UP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                CARTERSVILLE, GA – Week 26 of the 2014 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series 27-week season saw a few drivers make some gains in the battle to determine who will finish in the Top 10 point fund-paying positions and earn an invitation to the NeSmith Racing Annual Awards Banquet in January at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, GA.

                The top two drivers in the points list, 2014 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Chris Holley of Dayton, TX and the National Championship Runner-Up Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, MS did not compete in Week 26 action. 

Holley has a “Perfect Score” of 700 points among his best 14 with 15 wins and 17 top five finishes in 18 races driving the RP Racing Special.   Palasini has clinched the second spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 696 points after 12 wins and 19 top five finishes in 19 races.

Five of the nine drivers below Holley and Palasini in the Top 10 spots did not compete in NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 26 action, but the four that did were able to gain some ground in the point standings.

                Delbert Smith of Wichita, KS did compete in NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 26 action and picked up his seventh win of the season on Friday night at Salina Speedway in Salina, KS driving the BSB Manufacturing Special.  That netted Smith three points and moved him up to the third spot in the standings with a best 14 week total of 692 points.

                Smith has seven wins, 16 top five finishes and 18 top ten finishes in 18 races.  Smith now holds a two-point lead for the third spot over Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS, who did not compete in NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 26 action. 

Arnold has a best 14 week total of 690 points after nine wins, 16 top five finishes and 19 top ten finishes in 27 races driving The Strength Center Special.  With double features on the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 27 schedule of events, and the final week of the 2014 season, there are still four drivers in the running for the third spot at the banquet table.

Week 27 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series double feature events will be held this weekend at 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS, who will host a Week 25 Make Up Race for Salina Speedway.  411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, TN will also host double feature races this Saturday night that includes a Week 24 Make-Up Race.

Smith can net on a 48 and a 49, while Arnold can net on a 47 and a 48 in the final week of the season.  Ryan King of Seymour, TN and Adam Gauldin of Talladega, AL are also in the running for the third spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings.  King, who did not compete in Week 26 action, is fifth in the standings with a best 14 week total of 689 points.

King has seven wins, 16 top five finishes and 19 top ten finishes in 19 races driving the Brian King Roofing Stinger.  King will try to net on a pair of 47s during the final week of the season.  Gauldin drove the Adam Gauldin Racing GRT to a second-place finish on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL to net two points.

That moved Gauldin into the sixth spot of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 688 points after six wins, 18 top five finishes and 24 top ten finishes in 25 races.  Gauldin will try to net on a pair of 48s in the final week of the season.

Rusty Ballenger of Sevierville, TN is seventh in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 686 points after five wins, 16 top five finishes, and 18 top ten finishes in 19 races driving the Rebel Diesel Special.  Ballenger did not compete in Week 26 action, and will be trying to net on a pair of 48s in the last week of the season.

Daniel Bridgmon of Meridian, MS and Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS are tied for the eighth spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings, each with a best 14 week total of 682 points.  Bridgmon has four wins, 19 top five finishes and 21 top ten finishes in 23 races driving the Robinson Electric Supply Special, and Lee has five wins, 24 top five finishes and 29 top ten finishes in 33 races in the Billy Riels Racing GRT.

Bridgmon did not compete in NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 26 action, and can net on a 47 and a 48 in the last week of the season.  Lee finished fourth on Saturday night at St. Tammany Raceway in Lacombe, LA and did not net any points.  For the last week of the season, Lee will try to net on a pair of 47s.

The 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Noah Daspit of Kiln, MS drove the Billy Riels Racing Trak-Star to his seventh win of the season on Saturday night at St. Tammany Raceway, and in doing so moved into a tie for the tenth spot in the standings with Chris Kratzer of Haysville, KS.

Both Daspit and Kratzer have a best 14 week total of 681 points.  Daspit has seven wins, 17 top five finishes and 17 top ten finishes in 23 races.  Kratzer has four wins, 18 top five finishes and 19 top ten finishes in 19 races.

Daspit was able to net five points with his win and will try to net on a pair of 46s in the last week of the season.  Kratzer drove the O’Hara and O’Hara Special to a third-place finish on Friday night at Salina Speedway and netted one point.  Kratzer will be trying to net on a pair of 47s in the final week of the season.

There are three other drivers currently outside the top ten of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings that can net enough points in two races during the final week of the season to land in a points fund-paying position.  Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL, Darrick Klima of Belleville, KS and Heath Minor of Ralph, AL are still in the running for a top ten spot.

In other NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 26 action, Dennis Bush of Cedar Grove, TN was a first-time winner this season on Saturday night at Camden Speedway in Camden, TN driving the Bush Racing Special.  Mason Oberkramer of Brosley, MO drove the Corwell Trucking GRT to his fourth win of the season on Saturday night at Poplar Bluff Speedway in Poplar Bluff, MO.

The 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region Champion Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL took his first win of the season on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL driving the Lostalot Racing Special.

There were two rainouts in NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 26 competition on Saturday night at Battleground Speedway in Dayton, TX, and at 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS.

After 26 weeks of the 27-week 2014 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season, a total of 472 different drivers have earned points.  The complete NeSmith Chevrolet WRS point standings are posted on the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS web site at www.nesmithracing.com.

For more information and rules about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series all-new 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 WEEKLY RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 9/20/14:

NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES WEEK 26 RESULTS:

September 19:

SALINA SPEEDWAY – SALINA, KS:
1. 92 Delbert Smith
2. 2k Darrick Klima
3. 55 Chris Kratzer
4. 10 Jill Roberg
5. 70t Terry Malm
6. 12g Ryan Grit
7. 1jr Justin Kinderknecht
8. 15 Alan Reinert
9. 92s Daniel Smith

September 20:

ST. TAMMANY RACEWAY – LACOMBE, LA:
1. 347 Noah Daspit
2. 221 Tyler Allen
3. 7 Brian Foy
4. 47 Shannon Lee
5. KC1 K.I. Davis
6. X Kash Wilson
7. 2T Tootie Arnold
8. 41 Al Kouhout
9. 22b Ben Bishop
10. 77 Gary Hoyt
11. 24 Nick Gaines
12. 22 Ronnie Roberts DQ

TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK – EASTABOGA, AL:
1. 07 Jimmy Elkins Jr.
2. 17 Adam Gauldin
3. 11 Cruz Skinner
4. 5 Mike Combs
5. 4 Eric Smith
6. 30 Karl Parks
7. 77 Ken Cartwright
8. 8 Michael Richardson
9. 19 Carlton Freeman
10. 33 Shane Layfield
11. 77 Charlie Roberts
12. 88 Scott Davis

CAMDEN SPEEDWAY – CAMDEN, TN:
1. 63 Dennis Bush
2. 6b Jesse Bailey
3. 73 Ashley Newman
4. 2 Adam Ray
5. 10 Ronnie Cooper
6. 6 Jimmy Halford
7. 56 Jonathan Rowan
8. 1 Bryant Marsh
9. 3d Dalton Alexander
10. 00g Ben Garner
11. 18 Tommy Lenahan
12. 11 Kevin Fuller
13. 00 Bronson Berry DNS

POPLAR BLUFF SPEEDWAY – POPLAR BLUFF, MO:
1. 93 Mason Oberkramer
2. 33 Kaleb   Stolba
3. 66 Robbie Moore
4. 99 Tim Taylor
5. 54 Kenny Barker
6. 14jr Andrew Rushin

BATTLEGROUND SPEEDWAY – HIGHLANDS, TX:
Rained Out

81 SPEEDWAY – WICHITA, KS:
Rained Out

NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  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 Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  RockAuto.com is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  Racecar Engineering is the Official Parts Supplier of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  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 Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  AR Bodies is an Associate Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for 2014 are Dominator Race Products, Stealth Racing Carburetors, Modern Images, Mike Custom Tanks, Schoenfeld Headers, Kinser Air Filters, Performance Rod & Custom, and David Smith Carburetors.  2014 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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