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

November 17, 2014

A LOOK BACK AT NeSMITH LATE MODELS - 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                  CARTERSVILLE, GA – The year was 2013.  It was a defining year for a driver that had already established a Hall of Fame career as a dirt late model driver, but had now reinvented himself through dirt late models powered by the Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine.  Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN was the 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model National Champion.

                The economical style of dirt late model racing that had become the calling card of the NeSmith Late Models perfectly fit into the style of racing Johnson had become known for, in that he could do more with less.  Johnson didn’t have the latest and greatest bolted on his race cars, but with what he had, he made it work in winning fashion.

                Johnson had three wins during the 2013 season, and two of those wins came on the same day at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, TN.  As had always been the case at the beginning of the season, Johnson had not planned to run for the championship. 

Johnson had always picked his races on a week-to-week basis, many times not deciding on where he was going to race until after the race car had been loaded into the transporter on race day.  It was right at the halfway point of the season that Johnson realized he had a very good opportunity to win the $20,000 NeSmith Late Model Championship.

“I was leading the points at the halfway point of the season, and I got to looking at the schedule and realized the series was going to some tracks that I like and run well at,” Johnson said.  “It was then I decided that maybe I’d better go for this thing because at this point in my career, I might not have another chance.”

And as they say, the rest is history.  Johnson won the NeSmith Late Model title with a 112 point advantage over Kyle Bronson of Tampa, FL.  Bronson had one win on the season and was also the 2013 NeSmith Late Model Rookie of the Year.  Tait Davenport of Benton, KY finished third in the point standings with one win.

“Dr. Dirt” Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS make his third straight NeSmith Late Model Top 10 appearance in the points chase with a fourth-place effort in 2013 and Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL was fifth with three wins during the season. 

Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL had five wins during the first half of the 2013 NeSmith Late Model season and finished sixth in the point standings.  Hollingsworth was also the 2013 NeSmith Late Model Winternationals Champion.  Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS took the seventh spot in the standings and was second in the Rookie of the Year point standings.

Josh Adkins of Talladega, AL finished eighth in the 2013 NeSmith Late Model standings and third in the in the Rookie points.  Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS was ninth, and two-time NeSmith Late Model National Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN rounded out the Top 10.

There were 21 races on the 2013 NeSmith Late Model schedule with 12 different winners at 12 different tracks in six different states.  Other 2013 NeSmith Late Model winners included Scott Dedwylder of Vossburg, MS with two wins, and single race wins were turned in by William Thomas of Phenix City, AL, Riley Hickman of Cleveland, TN, Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, TN, and Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS.

The 2012 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Chase Washington of Houlka, MS also took a NeSmith Late Model win in the Touring Division in 2013, but it was the biggest win of the season that captured the hearts of the entire racing world.

In March of 2013, Washington was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer, and spent most of the season recovering from abdominal surgery and six months of chemotherapy treatments.  It all took a physical toll on the 20-year-old driver, but he came back with enough strength, courage and determination to win the NeSmith race on September 1, 2013 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS.

“This is the biggest win of my career, even bigger than winning the weekly championship last year because I wasn’t sure I had the strength, or the ability to do this,” Washington said.  “And what makes it even more special is that I had to beat one of my heroes, Ronnie Johnson, to do it.  This is the best therapy I’ve had all year!”

Noah Daspit of Kiln, MS was “Mr. Perfect” in winning the 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series $10,000 National Championship.  Daspit became the first driver in the eight-year history of the Weekly Racing Series to record a perfect 700 points represented by 14 fifty-point wins during the 27-week season where 376 drivers competed for points at 15 different tracks in eight different states.

Following Daspit in the Top 10 of the 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings respectively were Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, MS, Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS, Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL, Cliff Williams of Star, MS, Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS, Jeff Glisson of Boaz, KY, Sid Scarbrough of Florence, MS, Robby Moore of Brosley, MO, and Ronnie Cooper of McKenzie, TN.

In 2013 the NeSmith Late Models partnered up with the Northern States RUSH series, a dirt late model series whose race cars were also powered by the economical Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine.  The NeSmith and RUSH series would share rules and tech support in an area that would cover from Canada to Texas.

The $10,000-to-win 100-lap 9th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race would bring the best of both series together on November 23, 2013.  The top RUSH competitors were Mike Pegher Jr. of Cranberry, PA, Ryan Montgomery of Fairmount, WV, George Kowactic of Moon Township, PA, Joe Krcelich of Carmichaels, PA and 12-year-old Michael Lake of Uniontown, PA.

Local favorite and super late model star Ivedent Lloyd Jr. of Ocala, FL was back to defend his race championship, and was joined by another former World Championship Race winner Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV.  The “Tarheel Tiger” Ray Cook of Brasstown, NC was another super late model star looking for the big money.

Lloyd made it known early in the event that he was looking to make history in trying to become the first driver to win two straight World Championship Races.  Lloyd set Fast Time honors and won the first heat race to earn the pole position for the 100-lap race.

But with the drop of the green flag, it became evident this was going to be a competitive race with five lead changes among five different drivers before the halfway point of the century circuit grind.

Lloyd led the first seven laps of the race before Shan Smith of Dade City, FL charged to the front from the 11th starting spot and took the point on lap eight.  Lloyd reclaimed the lead on lap 15, but it was another early race charger, Mark Whitener of Middleburg, FL from the 17th starting spot, that took the lead on lap 25.

With Whitener holding a comfortable lead, he suddenly slowed off the pace in turn three on lap 41 to bring out the caution flag.  When Whitener went to the pits, Lloyd took over the lead, but as the cars were lining up for the double file restart, Lloyd also had to dive into the pits after cutting down a right-rear tire.

That gave William Thomas of Phenix City, AL the lead followed by Cook for the restart.  Thomas and Cook had charged up through the field from the 15th and 19th starting spots respectively.  When the field went back to green flag action, Cook put the pressure on Thomas for the lead. 

Cook was able to drive under Thomas to take the lead on lap 43 coming off the fourth turn.  The track was black, slick, and racy from top to bottom, conditions that have historically been to Cook’s liking.  Once in the lead, Cook packed his bags, turned in the key, and checked out on the field.  Cook carried over a five second margin of victory under the checkered flag in a car he called “Johnny Cash.”

                “Howard Stalls asked me to drive for him in this race at the beginning of the season, and they’ve been building it since then, like that old Johnny Cash song “One Piece At A Time” and tonight it made some cash too,” Cook said.  “We had trouble last night in qualifying, and had to come through the B-Main to make the race, but we had the right set up with tires and shocks to get us to the front.”

Pegher finished second and third went to Bronson.  Thomas took the fourth spot and Walker Arthur of Forest, VA was fifth.  Johnson capped off his NeSmith Late Model Championship season with a sixth-place finish.  Johnson crashed his primary car in the B-Main race, and had to borrow a car from Riley Hickman of Cleveland, TN, take a Provisional and start 23rd.

Shan Smith came home in the seventh spot and Jeff Smith of Chatsworth, GA finished eighth.  Davenport took the ninth spot and Montgomery rounded out the Top 10.  The four Heat Race winners were Lloyd, Adkins, McRee and Arthur.  The two B-Main races were won by Whitener and Rodney Wing of Meridian, MS.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 21 AT BUBBA RACEWAY PARK IN OCALA, FL ON 11/22-23/12:

POS        STRT     CAR #    DRIVER                               HOMETOWN                     LAPS     $ WON 
1.             19           114         Ray Cook                             Brasstown, NC                    100         $10,100
2.             9              1c            Mike Pegher Jr.                  Cranberry, PA                    100         $5,000
3.             13           40b         Kyle Bronson (R)               Brandon, FL                        100         $3,000
4.             15           19           William Thomas                                Phenix City, AL                  100         $2,000
5.             4              87           Walker Arthur                    Forest, VA                            100         $1,750
6.             23           R1           Ronnie Johnson                  Chattanooga, TN                100         $1,500
7.             11           55           Shan Smith                           Dade City, FL                      99           $1,300
8.             21           17s          Jeff Smith                            Chatsworth, GA                  99           $1,200
9.             24           18d         Tait Davenport                   Benton, KY                          99           $1,100
10.          5              12           Ryan Montgomery            Fairmount, WV                  99           $1,000
11.          22           110         Brent Barrett (R)                Cleveland, MS                     98           $800
12.          12           18           Chase Edge                          LaFayette, AL                     97           $700
13.          2              19m        Josh Adkins (R)                   Talladega, AL                     97           $600
14.          10           33c         Carter Stokes                      New Smyrna Beach, FL    96           $500
15.          26           59           Jake Perkins                        Ocala, FL                             95           $450
16.          18           54w        Rodney Wing                      Meridian, MS                      76           $440
17.          1              21           Ivedent Lloyd Jr.               Ocala, FL                             61           $430
18.          20           11k         Austin Kirkpatrick (R)      Ocala, FL                             59           $420
19.          17           58           Mark Whitener                   Middleburg, FL                  40           $400
20.          16           33           Jeff Mathews                       Valrico, FL                          35           $400
21.          7              54           Dalton Myers                      Riverview, FL                     24           $400
22.          14           56           David Earl Gentry             Murfreesboro, TN             22           $400
23.          3              25           Justin McRee                       Cottondale, AL                   13           $400
24.          6              26           Jimmy Shapre Jr.              Soperton, GA                       13           $400
25.          8              47h         Brad Hall                             Knoxville, TN                     13           $400
26.          25           5k           George Kowatic                 Moon Township, PA          3              $400

ENTRIES:  49
FAST QUALIFIER:  Lloyd, 14.896 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Johnson and Davenport
LONGEST TOW PROVISIONAL:  Kowatic
BUBBA RACEWAY PARK PROVISIONAL:  Perkins
LEAD CHANGES:  5
LAP LEADERS:  Lloyd, 1-7; S. Smith, 8-14; Lloyd, 15-24; Whitener, 25-40; Thomas, 41-42; Cook, 43-100
LAPS LED:  Cook, 58; Lloyd, 17; Whitener, 16; S. Smith, 7; Thomas, 2
HEDMAN HUSLER OF THE RACE:  Cook (started 19th and finished 1st)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Bronson
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD:  Lloyd
PRC JUST MISSED IT AWARD:  Doug Horton
STEALTH RACING CARBURETORS 7TH-PLACE AWARD:  S. Smith
VELOCITA RACEWEAR 8TH-PLACE AWARD: J. Smith
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD:  Davenport
AR BODIES 10TH-PLACE AWARD:  Montgomery
MIKE CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD:  Barrett
SHORTY’S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD:  Edge
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 13TH-PLACE AWARD:  Adkins
J.T. KERR RACING EQUIPMENT 14TH-PLACE AWARD:  C. Stokes
KINSER AIR FILTERS 15TH-PLACE AWARD:  Perkins
CAUTIONS:  11
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  5.942 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  1 Hour, 21 Minutes and 22.295 Seconds