11.3.18 NeSmith Late Models Results

MILTON, FL – Jake Knowles of Rome, GA drove a race of patience using tire management to win the 11^th Annual Southern 100 for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series on Saturday night at Southern Raceway.  Knowles took the lead on lap 25 and led unchallenged the rest of the way to collect the $10,000 top prize in the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Longhorn.

               In a race that saw 14 caution flags, the two most important for Knowles occurred on lap 25, and on lap 69.  During the lap 25 caution period, early race leader Travis Pennington of Stapleton, GA had to give up the point and pit with a cut left rear tire on his U.S. Duffie Site Prep Special.  That gave Knowles the lead he would not relinquish the rest of the race.

               While the lap 25 caution flag may have given Knowles the eventual race win, the lap 69 caution flag put Knowles to within ten points of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Ashton Winger of Senoia, GA.  Winger took a 48-point lead over Knowles into the Southern 100, and started the race from the pole position.

               Winger was trying to race back into the top five after a lap 16 spin in turn two while running third.  Winger had climbed back up to the eighth spot by lap 68.  On a lap 69 restart, Winger’s Keyser Manufacturing Rocket fell off the pace.  Monte Skinner of Saraland, AL slammed into the left side of Winger’s lame race car in turn three.

               The right-front Hoosier Racing Tire of Skinner’s Capital Race Car Special was hung on the driver’s side door of Winger’s race car like a tray of burgers and fries at the local drive-in.  Winger didn’t have an appetite for the Breakfast of Champions, let alone a Tire Designed For Champions.  The 18-year-old driver quickly exited stage right out the passenger’s side window uninjured.

               Winger was credited with a 19^th-place finish and Knowles closed the gap from second in the points to a ten point difference with one race left in the 2018 Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season. 

Winger with 1,236 points and Knowles with 1,226 points, will decide the 2018 National Championship on November 23-24 in the $10,000-to-win Possum Town Grand Prix at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS.

               “This was the first time I have been here racing in the sand, but I knew I had to be patient, manage my tires, and try to get through the lapped traffic without abusing them,” Knowles said.  “I knew Andy was close to me in traffic, but I knew he would race me clean when it came down to racing for the win.  I was just trying to run just fast enough to stay out front.”

               Andy Picklesimer of Ooltewah, TN was the only driver that could stay close to Knowles in the closing laps of the race.  The 2016 Southern 100 Champion fell one spot short in the Hyma Motorsports Special of becoming a two-time winner.  In fact, Picklesimer had to hang on for dear life to finish second, as he cut down a right-rear tire going down the backstretch on the 100^th lap.

               “I think I used more energy in the last half lap of the race than I used in the 99 previous laps just to get to the checkered flag,”  Picklesimer said.  “I don’t know what it is about this place, but we always seems to do well here.  This sand is so much different than what we race on at home, so maybe I just need to move down here, and I know the weather is better most of the year.”

               Local favorite Joseph Joiner of Milton, FL drove the Cole Services Special to a third-place finish, and Clint Smith of Senoia, GA was the Hard Charger of the Race after starting the Cliburn Truck Lines Rocket 13^th and finishing fourth.  Bryant Marsh of Corinth, MS was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race with a fifth-place finish in the Modern Woodmen of America Rocket.

               Jamey Boland of Cuba, AL finished sixth in the Boland Performance Trak-Star “House Car” and Pennington came back from his cut tire to take the seventh spot.  Colton Leyendecker of Holt, FL was eighth in the Jerry Edge Painting Special and Walker Arthur of Forest, VA came home ninth in the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Special.  D.G. Hawkins of Chunchula, AL rounded out the top ten in the Sessions Construction Services Rocket.

               In Friday night preliminary action, Winger was the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Fast Qualifier with a lap around Southern Raceway in 15.325 seconds.  The three eight-lap Heat Races were won by Winger, Pennington and Joiner.  On Saturday night, the ten-lap B-Main Race was won by Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS in the B&M Salvage Rocket.

For more information and rules about the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site atwww.durrencelayneracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at Durrence Layne Racing.  You can follow us on Twitter @DurrenceLayneRacing.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 14 AT SOUTHERN RACEWAY IN MILTON, FL ON 11/3/18:

POS       STRT    CAR #   DRIVER                             HOMETOWN                   LAPS     $ WON
1.            4             66           Jake Knowles                   Rome, GA                          100        $10,000
2.            5             P1          Andy Picklesimer            Ooltewah, TN                    100        $5,000
3.            3             10           Joseph Joiner                   Milton, FL                         100        $3,000
4.            13           44           Clint Smith                        Senoia, GA                         100        $2,000
5.            9             1             Bryant Marsh (R)            Corinth, MS                      100        $1,750
6.            12           232        Jamey Boland (R)            Cuba, AL                            100        $1,500
7.            2             01           Travis Pennington           Stapleton, GA                   100        $1,300
8.            10           33           Colton Leyendecker        Holt, FL                              100        $1,200
9.            15           87           Walker Arthur                 Forest, VA                         100        $1,100
10.          8             96           D.G. Hawkins                    Chunchula, AL                  100        $1,000
11.          19           19           Marcus Minga                  Shannon, MS                     100        $800
12.          21           3             Micha McCall                   Flomaton, AL                    100        $700
13.          20           24           Steven Jernigan                              Milton, FL                         99           $600
14.          22           12b        Rodney Bruce                   Pass Christian, MS          97           $500
15.          14           79           Kyle Bryant                      Navarre, FL                      87           $450
16.          16           47           James Gilmore                 Milton, FL                         78           $440
17.          6             C6          Oakley Johns                    Hohenwald, TN                 69           $430
18.          11           00           Monte Skinner                  Saraland, AL                     69           $420
19.          1             12           Ashton Winger (R)          Senoia, GA                         68           $400
20.          18           99           Ryan Boudreaux              New Orleans, LA              42           $400
21.          17           05           T.J. Brittain                      Centre, AL                         38           $400
22.          24           007        Kenneth Montiel              Saraland, AL                     23           $400
23.          23           17jr       Tyler Wood                       Hohenwald, TN                 17           $400
24.          7             2             Bo Slay                               Milton, FL                         16           $400

ENTRIES:  27
KNOWLES RACE PARTS AND BODIES FAST TIME:  Winger, 15.325 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Wood, Montiel
LEAD CHANGES:  1

LAP LEADERS:  Pennington, 1-24; Knowles, 25-100
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE:  Picklesimer
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Marsh
HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE:  Smith (started 13^th and finished 4^th)
CAUTIONS:  14
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  2.499 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  1 Hour, 49 Minutes and 49.184 Seconds
NEXT RACE:  November 23-24, $10,000-To-Win Possum Town Grand Prix, Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, MS

FRIDAY NIGHT PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

KNOWLES RACE PARTS AND BODIES GROUP QUALIFYING:

HEAT RACES (8 Laps – Top 6 Transfer To Main Event):

               1^ST HEAT:  1. Winger (R); 2. Knowles; 3. Slay; 4. Leyendecker; 5. Smith; 6. Gilmore; 7. Minga; 8. Harbin.

               2^ND HEAT:  1. Pennington; 2. Picklesimer; 3. Hawkins; 4. Skinner; 5. Bryant; 6. Brittain; 7. McCall; 8. Martin; 9. Lewis DQ-LT.

               3^RD HEAT:  1. Joiner; 2. Johns; 3. Marsh (R); 4. Boland (R); 5. Arthur; 6. Boudreaux; 7. Jernigan; 8. Wood; 9. Bruce.

SATURDAY NIGHT B-MAIN RESULTS (10 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):  1. Minga; 2, Jernigan; 3. McCall; 4.  Bruce; 5. Wood; 6. Montiel; 7. Martin; 8. Harbin; 9. Lewis.

DURRENCE LAYNE CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 11/3/18:

1. 12 Ashton Winger (R) – 1,236
   2. 66 Jake Knowles – 1,226
   3. 23 Cory Hedgecock – 1,110
   4. P1 Andy Picklesimer – 1,080
   5. 1 Bryant Marsh (R) – 1,034
   6. 232 Jamey Boland (R) – 1,020
   7. 19 Marcus Minga – 996
   8. 05 T.J. Brittain – 994
   9. 17jr Tyler Wood – 912
   9. C6 Oakley Johns – 912
   11. 11 Cruz Skinner – 536
   12. 25 Chase Walls – 502
   13. 22 Austin Burns (R) – 468
   14. 32 Chad Stapleton – 460
   15. 24 Greg Martin – 392

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

Durrence Layne Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models and the Pacesetter Award Sponsor at Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series events.  Durrence Layne Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is one of the nation’s top GM Powertrain and Performance Dealers, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast.  Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models.  Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models.  VP Racing Fuels and Lubricants is the Official Race Fuel and Lubricant of the Durrence Layne Late Models, sponsor of the VP Lubricants Starting Box, and the VP Lubricants Smooth Move of the Race Award at Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series events.  RockAuto.com is an Associate Sponsor of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models.  Beyea Headers the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Model Hard Charger Sponsor.  Knowles Race Parts and Bodies is the Official Parts Supplier for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models and the Fast Qualifier Sponsor at National Touring events.  David Smith Carburetors is the Official Carburetor of Durrence Layne Racing.  Freestyle Graphix is the Official Wrap, Banner, and Sign Company of Durrence Layne Racing.  Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Model Contingency Sponsors for 2017 are Out-Pace Performance, CrateInsider.Com, Knowles Racing Parts and Bodies, and FreeStyle Graphix.  2018 Chassis Sponsors are Trak-Star Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, and CVR Race Cars.