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

October 18, 2014

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS FIELD HAD TO CHASE EDGE SATURDAY NIGHT AT GOLDEN ISLES SPEEDWAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                BRUNSWICK, GA – Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL swept night two action of the Showdown On The Coast for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Golden Isles Speedway on Saturday night.  Edge set fast time for the second straight night, led 37 of 50 laps and drove the Edge’s Gas Company Special to his second series win of the season.

                Edge battled with early race leader Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN for the first 13 laps of the race before taking the lead on lap 14.  Edge then checked out on the field and took the checkered flag with a 4.874 second margin of victory over Henderson, who finished second in the Mighty Muffler and Brakes CVR.

                “We really felt like we had the car to beat all weekend, and although we had trouble while we were leading last night, we were trouble free tonight and the car was just awesome to drive,” Edge said.  “We had a good race with Matt early on and I enjoyed racing with him because it was a clean battle.”

                Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS drove the Custom Spraying, Inc. GRT to his second straight top three finish of the weekend with a third-place effort and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS took the fourth spot in the Basset Hound Motorsports GRT.  Hunter Carter of Blackshear, GA was fifth in the Bud Light Special.

The 2014 and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN finished sixth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special and Mitchell Coble of Mt. Airy, NC was seventh in the Klontz Lubricant CVR.  Cla Knight of North Augusta, SC drove the Augusta Aquatics Special to an eighth-place finish.

Cecil Eunice of Blackshear, GA finished ninth in the Ace Pole Company Special, and Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL rounded out the top ten in the Panama City Cycles Trak-Star.  The 2014 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rookie of the Year Chris Noah started 18th and finished 11th in the Old Man’s Garage Special to earn the Rookie of the Race honors.

Henderson took the lead at the start of the race from his outside front row starting spot, with Edge tucked under him in second followed by Barrett, Steven Roberts of Jesup, GA and Johnson.  On lap three, Johnson drove by Roberts to take over the fourth spot.  Henderson and Edge took their battle for the lead into lapped traffic on lap ten.

Edge got a run on Henderson coming off the second turn on lap 14, and lead pair raced into turn three side-by-side.  Edge was able to power off the bottom of turn four, and cleared Henderson at the flagstand to take the lead.  By lap 20, Edge had pulled out to a half straightaway lead over Henderson, who had company from Barrett in the third spot.

The first of three caution flags came out on lap 24 when Roberts stalled the Roberts Bee Company Special in turn two while running fifth.  Roberts was done for the night and earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.  Edge had Henderson, Barrett, Johnson, Carter, Justin McRee of Woodstock, GA in the High Roller Race Cars Special, Stokes, Knight, Coble and Crane doubled up behind him for the Dixie-Style double-file restart.

Carter drove under Johnson on the restart to take over the fourth spot, and in just three green flag laps, Edge had pulled out to a half straightaway lead over Henderson.  By lap 30, Edge had checked out to a full straightaway lead, and the only thing that could slow him down was a lap 34 caution flag when Crane spun in turn two.

The top ten for the restart saw Edge leading Henderson, Barrett, Carter, Johnson, Stokes, Coble, Eunice, Knight, and Noah.  Johnson returned the favor from Carter on the restart by driving around outside of him to reclaim the fourth spot.  With ten laps to go, Edge had once again put a full straightaway on Henderson.

The third and final caution flag bunched the field up once again on lap 44 when Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS spun the Lamar Auto Salvage Trak-Star down the backstretch.  When the field went back to green, Johnson jumped Barrett on the restart and was penalized two positions at the end of the race.

Barrett was able to repass Johnson, while both Edge and Henderson pulled away at the front of the pack.  In the final seven laps of the race, Edge once again got in his fast groove and pulled away to take his second win of the season and his third career series win.

The next race for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be the 2014 season finale with the $10,000-to-win 100-lap 10th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL on November 20-22.

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.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 21 AT GOLDEN ISLES SPEEDWAY IN BRUNSWICK, GA ON 10/18/14:

POS        STRT     CAR #    DRIVER                               HOMETOWN                     LAPS     $ WON 
1.             1              18           Chase Edge                          LaFayette, AL                     50           $2,500
2.             2              17           Matt Henderson                  Loudon, TN                         50           $1,250
3.             3              110         Brent Barrett                      Cleveland, MS                     50           $850
4.             6              1              Johnny Stokes                     Columbus, MS                     50           $700
5.             4              25c         Hunter Carter                     Blackshear, GA                  50           $650
6.             7              5              Ronnie Johnson                  Chattanooga, TN                50           $550
7.             10           16           Mitchell Coble                    Mt. Airy, NC                        50           $500
8.             9              42           Cla Knight                           North Augusta, SC             50           $450
9.             11           22           Cecil Eunice                        Blackshear, GA                  50           $400
10.          13           10           Ryan Crane                         Panama City, FL                50           $375
11.          18           56           Chris Noah (R)                    Rainbow City, AL              50           $350
12.          15           52           Ryan Carter                        Blackshear, GA                  50           $300
13.          12           19           Marcus Minga                    Shannon, MS                       49           $280
14.          14           45           Damon Flowers                  Hortense, GA                       49           $260
15.          17           J3           Paul Jorgensen (R)            Blackshear, GA                  48           $250
16.          16           121         Michael Blount                   Sumrall, MS                        41           $240
17.          8              25           Justin McRee                       Woodstock, AL                   26           $220
18.          5              111         Steven Roberts                    Jesup, GA                             23           $200

ENTRIES:  18
FAST QUALIFIER:  Edge, 16.728 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  None
LEAD CHANGES:  1
LAP LEADERS:  Henderson, 1-13; Edge, 14-50
LAPS LED:  Edge, 37; Henderson, 13
ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Noah
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD:  Roberts
STEALTH RACING CARBURETORS 7TH-PLACE AWARD:  Coble
SCHAEFFER’S OIL 8TH-PLACE AWARD PRESENTED BY CHAD WALLACE AND HEATHER NEWSOME: Knight
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Eunice
AR BODIES 10TH-PLACE AWARD:  Crane
MIKE CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD:  Noah
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 12TH-PLACE AWARD:  R. Carter
KINSER AIR FILTERS 13TH-PLACE AWARD:  Minga
CAUTIONS:  3
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  4.874 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  22 Minutes and 43.985 Seconds

QUALIFYING:

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 10/18/14:

1. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 1,820
2. 56 Chris Noah (R) – 1,574
3. 1 Johnny Stokes – 1,314
4. 121 Michael Blount – 1,270
5. 110 Brent Barrett – 1,268
6. 19 Marcus Minga – 1,198
7. 18 Chase Edge – 1,172
8. 51 Mack McCarter – 1,158
9. 87 Walker Arthur – 838
10. 19m Josh Adkins – 804
11. 25 Justin McRee – 788
12. J39 Jimmy Elliott – 668
13. 73 Ashley Newman – 660
14. 38 Chase Washington – 566
15. 18d Tait Davenport – 552
16. 17 Ronald Dunn – 508
17. 8a Todd Morrow – 464
18. 55 Montana Dudley (R) – 430
19. 17 Matt Henderson – 430
20. 64 Jacob Anderson - 336

R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate

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

October 17, 2014

JOHNSON CLINCHES NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS TITLE WITH CLOSEST FINISH IN SERIES HISTORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                BRUNSWICK, GA – Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN won the closest finish in the ten-year history of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series on Friday night in the 50-lap main event of night one of the Showdown On The Coast at Golden Isles Speedway, and in doing so, clinched the $20,000 2014 NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Championship.

                Johnson drove the NeSmith Chevrolet Special to a .004 second victory over Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS in the Custom Spraying, Inc. GRT.  The side-by-side win for Johnson was the only lap he led to clinch his second straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Championship with two races left on the 2014 series schedule.

                “That’s the way I wanted to win the championship with a close side-by-side finish,” Johnson said.  “I hope the fans enjoyed that because both Brent and I were up on the wheel to make it happen.  It looked like Brent broke something on the rear of his car, but he was driving it as hard as he could, and he didn’t make this win easy for me.  He did a great job.”

                Johnson’s eighth win of the 2014 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season also set a new series record for most wins in the single season.  Johnson also padded his series-leading career win total with his 25th series victory.

                Barrett, who was looking for his second win of the season, broke a shock on the left rear corner of his race car, and on top of that, he also was racing with a broken visor on his helmet for the last 20 laps of the race.  Barrett said he was racing blind in lapped traffic, and that’s where Johnson was able to reel him in during the closing laps of the race.

                Mitchell Coble of Mt. Airy, NC finished third in the Klontz Lubricant CVR and Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN was fourth in the Mighty Muffler and Brakes CVR.  Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS started 14th and drove the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT to a fifth-place finish, and Mallory Harvey of Baxley, GA took the sixth spot in the Rentz Farms Rocket.

                Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL was seventh in the High Roller Race Cars Special and Cla Knight of North Augusta, SC drove the Augusta Aquatics Special to an eighth-place finish.  Chris Noah of Rainbow City, AL was the Rookie of the Race with a ninth-place effort in the Old Man’s Garage Special and Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS rounded out the top ten in the Lamar Auto Salvage Trak-Star.

                In preliminary action, Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL was the Fast Qualifier with a lap around the 4/10-mile clay oval in 16.742 second in the Edge’s Gas Company Special to earn the pole position for the main event.

                At the drop of the green flag, it was outside front row starter Steven Roberts of Jesup, GA taking the lead in the Roberts Bee Company Special followed by Edge, Barrett, Johnson and Noah.  Edge was able to stay right on Robert’s back bumper when they encountered the cars on the tail end of the lead lap by the 12th tour.

                The first of three caution flags came out on lap 14 when Noah stalled in turn one while running fifth.  Noah went to the pits and came back out to start on the tail for the “Dixie Style” double-file restart.  Roberts had Edge, Barrett, Johnson, Henderson, McRee, Coble, Harvey, Cecil Eunice of Blackshear, GA in the Ace Pole Company Special, and Knight doubled up behind him in the top ten.

                When the green flag returned the field to full speed action, Edge got busy looking inside and outside on Roberts to challenge for the lead.  On lap 21, Edge got a run on Roberts on the outside coming off the second turn.  Running side-by-side down the backstretch, the two lead cars made contact.  Roberts hit the third turn guard rail and Edge spun to the inside to bring out the caution flag.

                Roberts was charged with the caution flag and went to the pits for repairs, while Edge was able to continue and inherit the lead.  Edge led the field for one green flag lap before the third and final caution flag of the race came out on lap 22 when Blackshear, GA drivers Hunter Carter and Paul Jorgensen tangled and spun in turn two.

                Edge led the field down the backstretch preparing to take the green flag when he suddenly slowed and stopped on the backstretch.  His car wouldn’t restart and he was done for the night to earn the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.

                Barrett now took command of the field with Johnson, Coble, Henderson, McRee, Knight, Harvey, Stokes and Eunice doubled up behind him.  Coble drove underneath Johnson on the restart to take over the second, as Barrett took off and left the rest of the field in his wake.  By lap 30, Barrett enjoyed a full straightaway lead over Coble and Johnson, who were battling side-by side for second.

                By lap 34, Barrett was in heavy lapped traffic, and on lap 35, Johnson drove around the outside of Coble to reclaim the second spot.  While Barrett tried to feel his way through lapped traffic with his broken shock and helmet visor, Johnson had closed the gap to a half-straightaway by lap 37. 

On lap 42, Johnson was on Barrett’s back bumper, and the leader was trying to use lapped cars to keep Johnson behind him.  Barrett and Johnson battled for the lead for the last eight laps of the race.  On the final lap, Johnson got an outside run on Barrett going down the backstretch and they raced side-by-side through turns three and four.

The lead duo brought the crowd to their feet as they came off turn four to the checkered flag.  They took the checkered flag side-by-side in a dead heat, too close to call with the naked eye.  The electronic scoring showed Johnson the winner by .004 seconds for the closest finish in NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series history.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series returns to Golden Isles Speedway on Saturday night for night two of the Showdown On The Coast with a 50-lap $2,500-to-win main event, Round 21 of the 2014 season.

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.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 20 AT GOLDEN ISLES SPEEDWAY IN BRUNSWICK, GA ON 10/17/14:

POS        STRT     CAR #    DRIVER                               HOMETOWN                     LAPS     $ WON 
1.             6              5              Ronnie Johnson                  Chattanooga, TN                50           $2,500
2.             3              110         Brent Barrett                      Cleveland, MS                     50           $1,250
3.             9              16           Mitchell Coble                    Mt. Airy, NC                        50           $850
4.             5              17           Matt Henderson                  Loudon, TN                         50           $700
5.             14           1              Johnny Stokes                     Columbus, MS                     50           $650
6.             11           29           Mallory Harvey                 Baxley, GA                          50           $550
7.             8              25           Justin McRee                       Woodstock, AL                   50           $500
8.             10           42           Cla Knight                           North Augusta, SC             50           $450
9.             4              56           Chris Noah (R)                    Rainbow City, AL              50           $400
10.          15           121         Michael Blount                   Sumrall, MS                        50           $375
11.          12           52           Ryan Carter                        Blackshear, GA                  49           $350
12.          16           45           Damon Flowers                  Hortense, GA                       49           $300
13.          18           J3           Paul Jorgensen (R)            Blackshear, GA                  49           $280
14.          17           19           Marcus Minga                    Shannon, MS                       48           $260
15.          7              22           Cecil Eunice                        Blackshear, GA                  47           $250
16.          2              111         Steven Roberts                    Jesup, GA                             22           $240
17.          1              18           Chase Edge                          LaFayette, AL                     21           $220
18.          13           25           Hunter Carter                     Blackshear, GA                  21           $200

ENTRIES:  18
FAST QUALIFIER:  Edge, 16.742 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  None
LEAD CHANGES:  3
LAP LEADERS:  Roberts, 1-20; Edge, 21; Barrett, 22-49; Johnson, 50
LAPS LED:  Barrett, 28; Roberts, 20; Edge, 1; Johnson, 1
ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Noah
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD:  Edge
STEALTH RACING CARBURETORS 7TH-PLACE AWARD:  McRee
SCHAEFFER’S OIL 8TH-PLACE AWARD PRESENTED BY CHAD WALLACE AND HEATHER NEWSOME: Knight
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Noah
AR BODIES 10TH-PLACE AWARD:  Blount
MIKE CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD:  R. Carter
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 12TH-PLACE AWARD:  Flowers
KINSER AIR FILTERS 13TH-PLACE AWARD:  Jorgensen
CAUTIONS:  3
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  .004 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  35 Minutes and 38.204 Seconds

QUALIFYING:

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 10/17/14:

1. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 1,732
2. 56 Chris Noah (R) – 1,496
3. 1 Johnny Stokes – 1,222
4. 121 Michael Blount – 1,202
5. 110 Brent Barrett – 1,174
6. 51 Mack McCarter – 1,158
7. 19 Marcus Minga – 1,124
8. 18 Chase Edge – 1,072
9. 87 Walker Arthur – 838
10. 19m Josh Adkins – 804
11. 25 Justin McRee – 722
12. J39 Jimmy Elliott – 668
13. 73 Ashley Newman – 660
14. 38 Chase Washington – 566
15. 18d Tait Davenport – 552
16. 17 Ronald Dunn – 508
17. 8a Todd Morrow – 464
18. 55 Montana Dudley (R) – 430
19. 64 Jacob Anderson – 336
20. 17h Matt Henderson - 334

R – Rookie of the Year Candidate

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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