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

April 25, 2008

KEETON EARNS POLE FOR NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS CAJUN SPRING NATIONALS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                McCOMB, MS – Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS earned the pole position on Friday night at Pike County Speedway for the 100-lap $10,000-to-win NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Cajun Spring Nationals on Saturday.  Mike Boland of Cuba, AL will start the big show along side Keeton in row one.

The defending and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion outran the Best Western Inn of McComb Fast Qualifier Jay Blair of Angie, LA to win the first of six 15-lap heat races in the Boland Performance Trak-Star.  Rodney Wing of Meridian, MS drove The People’s Car GRT to a third-place finish in heat one to also transfer to the main event.

Blair out timed the 51-car field by touring the 3/8-mile clay oval in 17.176 seconds to win a free night’s stay at the Best Western Inn of McComb driving a new J&A Trucking Mastersbilt for the Best Western Inn of McComb Fast Time Award.

Boland made it an all Trak-Star front row by winning the second heat in The Strength Center Trak-Star.  William Thomas of Phenix City, AL was second in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion, and Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL took the third and final transfer spot in heat two driving the McLeod Construction TNT.

Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA won the third heat on Friday night to earn the inside second row starting spot for the Saturday night main event in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.  Stephen Brantley of Monroeville, AL in the Airport Sports Center Mastersbilt and Jeff Fortner of Vidalia, GA in the Extreme Hauling Rocket finished second and third respectively.

Shep Lucas of McKenzie, AL was the winner in heat four, and will star his Signature Construction Trak-Star on the outside of the second row for the main event.  Also transferring out of heat four were second-place Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL in the All-Star Graphics GRT and third-place Jamey Smith of Purvis, MS in the 3-D Paint and Body GRT.

Rick Rickman of Columbus, MS will start the big show from the inside of row three after winning the fifth heat in the CarQuest Auto Parts Mastersbilt.  Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA was second in the Nasworthy Mechanical Bullet, and Curt Lipsey of Tickfaw, LA was third in the A-O.K. Mobile Home Movers GRT.

Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA captured the outside third row starting spot in the Cajun Spring National after winning heat six in the Hays Family Racing/Barto Enterprises Warrior.  Second and third respectively were Michael Santangelo of St. Rose, LA in the Harahan Paint and Body Trak-Star and Cliff Williams of Star, MS in the Ware Construction GRT.

Drivers that finished fourth on back in their respective heat races on Friday night will have another opportunity to fill starting spots 19 through 22 for the big show in one of two 20-lap B-Main Races on Saturday night.  Starting spots 23 and 24 are NeSmith Chevrolet Provisional starting spots reserved for the Top 15 in the National point standings.

Those provisional spots will be at a premium, as seven of the top 15 drivers in the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National point standings, including the top three, are still on the outside looking in.

NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National point leader Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA, second-place Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA, third-place Chris Tays of Corinth, MS, sixth-place Ted Lackey of Munford, AL, seventh-place Jason Hiett of Lincoln, AL, eighth-place Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA, and 11th-place Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS will line-up for B-Main competition on Saturday night.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF ROUND 5 AT PIKE COUNTY SPEEDWAY IN McCOMB, MS ON 4/25/08:

HEAT RACES (15 Laps – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):

                1ST HEAT:  1. Keeton; 2. Blair; 3. Wing; 4. Frith; 5. Bryant; 6. E. Rickman; 7. Fricsh; 8. B. Rickman; 9. Guidry.

                2ND HEAT:  1. Boland; 2. Thomas; 3. Boutwell; 4. O’Connor; 5. Edwards; 6. Turner; 7. Arnold; 8. Gaither; 9. Dedwylder.

                3RD HEAT:  1. Ingram; 2. Brantley; 3. Fortner; 4. Fields; 5. Stokes; 6. Anderson; 7. Lackey; 8. Killens; 9. Herberger

                4TH HEAT:  1. Lucas; 2. Knowles (R); 3. Smith; 4. Vicknair; 5. Cooley (R); 6. Nasworthy; 7. Brindle; 8. Barber.

                5TH HEAT:  1. R. Rickman; 2. Peacock (R); 3. Lipsey; 4. Bray; 5. Minga (R); 6. Hiett (R); 7. Warner; 8. Simoneaux.

                6TH HEAT:  1. Rainey; 2. Santangelo; 3. Williams; 4. Sibley; 5. McCreary; 6. Tays; 7. Hoge; 8. Spencer.

“SWEET 16” STARTING LINE-UP FOR THE CAJUN SPRING NATIONALS:
ROW 1:
22 Lucky Keeton – 222 Mike Boland
ROW 2:
F9 Frank Ingram – 57 Shep Lucas
ROW 3:
86 Rick Rickman – 87 Derrick Rainey
ROW 4:
2x Jay Blair – 22t William Thomas
ROW 5:
02 Stephen Brantley – 66k Scott Knowles (R)
ROW 6:
12 Hunter Peacock (R) – 77 Michael Santangelo
ROW 7:
44 Rodney Wing – 58 Larry Boutwell
ROW 8:
27 Jeff Fortner – Jamey Smith (R)
ROW 9:
35 Curt Lipsey – 4 Cliff Williams


SATURDAY B-MAIN LINE-UPS (20 Laps – Top 2 Transfer To Main Event):
1ST B-MAIN:
50 Landon Frith – 16 Jeff Fields
21 Royce Bray – J5 Jim Bryant
1 Johnny Stokes – 19 Marcus Minga (R)
68 Eddie Rickman – 55 Kyle Anderson
1h Jason Hiett (R) – 43 Marcus Fricsh
41 Ted Lackey – 112 Jason Warner
90 Brian Rickman – K18 Kaleb Killens
8s Joe Simoneaux – 9 Edward Guidry
C15 Corie Herberger

2ND B-MAIN:
17 Chris O’Connor – V8 Kerry Vicknair
39 Michael Sibley – 5e Shawn Edwards
33c Eric Cooley (R) – 21m Ben McCreary
10 Matthew Turner – 71 Gene Nasworthy
8 Chris Tays – 2t Tootie Arnold
38c Chip Brindle – 21h Rusty Hoge
K7 Kenny Gaither – 21b Kody Barber
43s Cliff Spencer – G33 Greg Dedwylder


R – Denotes Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidate

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