2.23.18 NeSmith Late Models Results

OCALA, FL – Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL tuned up to defending his Chevrolet Performance World Championship on Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park by winning the 40-lap Rock Auto.com Winter Shootout Main Event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.  Bronson took the lead on lap 15 in the Brandon Ford Special and never looked back for the win.

                Bronson is the defending champion of the Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race for the NeSmith Late Models, and the 14^th Edition of the $10,000-to-win 100-lap extravaganza will take place at Bubba Raceway Park on Saturday night.  Bronson will be trying to become the first driver to win two straight Golden Globes, and only the second driver to win the race twice.

                “We had a good race car last night when we finished second, and we fixed a few things on it for tonight,” Bronson said.  “We’ll tweak on it some more tomorrow and we’ll be ready to go for 100 laps.  I’ve got to thank my crew because we’ve been racing down here in Florida for Speedweeks for just about 20 straight days, and they’ve really worked their butts off.  I couldn’t do this without them.”

                After starting sixth, Bronson was up to second by lap two, and when early race leader Jeff Mathews of Brandon, FL got caught behind lapped traffic on the bottom groove of the track, Bronson sailed around the outside to take the lead on lap 15.  Despite four caution flags, Bronson was able to pull away on each restart and carry a 3.529 second margin of victory under the checkered flag.

                Thursday night’s winner Mark Whitener of Middleburg, FL finished second in the ULC Land Clearing Special, and third went to Justin Williams of Concord, VA in the Clary’s Used Cars Rocket.  Michael Page of Douglasville, GA took the fourth spot in the Troy Baird Trucking Special and Dennis Franklin of Gaffney, SC was fifth in the Baird Transport Special.

                Logan Roberson of Waynesboro, VA started 15^th in the Dirt Defender Rocket and finished sixth to earn the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race Award.  Hudson O’Neal of Martinsville, IN took the seventh spot in the Lineal Contracting Special, and Clay Harris of Jupiter, FL was eighth in the Griffin Motorsports Rocket.

                Mathews came back from a cut tire on lap 20 to finish ninth in the Vivid Graphics Special, and Tyler Bare of Rockridge Baths, VA rounded out the top ten in the May’s Recycling Rocket.  In preliminary action, Mathews was the Sunoco/Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Fast Qualifier among the 50 entrants with a lap in 14.756 seconds.

                The four 12-lap B-Main Races were won by O’Neal, Corey Almond of Appomattox, VA in the Factory Canopy Special, Franklin, and Kevin Maher of McDavid, FL in the Maher Racing Special.

                Matthews took the lead from the pole position at the start of the race followed by Williams, Riley Hickman of Ooltewah, TN in the Hickman Manufacturing CVR, and Keith Barbara of South Park, PA in the Royal Flush, Inc. Rocket.  Whitener started on the outside of the front row for the start of the race, but his car pushed up the banking in turn one, dropping him outside of the top ten.

                Bronson hustled up from the sixth spot on the high side of the track to pass Williams for the second spot on lap two.  The field was slowed for the first of six caution flags on lap seven when Same Seawright of Fort Payne, AL stalled in turn four in the J&R Lumber Special.  Behind Mathews for the Dixie-Style Double-File Restart were Bronson, Williams, Barbara, Hickman, Page, O’Neal, Franklin, Trent Ivey of Union, SC in the Barfield Timbers Special, and Roberson.

                The yellow caution lamp was turned on again on lap eight when Andy Picklesimer of Ooltewah, TN in the Hyma Motorsports Special and Almond tangled on the front straightaway.  In the one lap of racing before the caution came out, Williams had dropped from third to sixth as Barbara, Hickman, and O’Neal moved up to third, fourth and fifth respectively.

                The restart saw Barbara and Hickman make contact, and Barbara slid up into the fluff on the high side of turn one.  Hickman was on a mission, as he began to challenge Bronson side-by-side for the second spot on lap ten.  Hickman was working the bottom groove, while Bronson was on the top shelf of Bubba Raceway Park.

                Bronson was able to take control of second on lap 13, and quickly closed in on Mathews, who was racing in the bottom groove of the track, trapped behind lapped traffic.  Bronson had clear sailing on the outside and took the lead coming off the second turn on lap 15.

                Three-time NeSmith Late Model National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN stalled the Josh Roberts Trucking Special in turn two on lap 18 to bring out the third caution flag of the race.  Bronson had Mathews, Hickman, Whitener, Williams, Page, O’Neal, Roberson, Franklin, and Harris doubled up behind him for the restart.

                The caution flag came out on the restart when Conner Meade of Clay City, KY spun the Jay Construction Special down the back straightaway.  On the next restart, Hickman pushed up the banking in turn one and fell back out of the top ten.  On lap 19, Whitener and Mathews got together while battling for second going into turn one.

                Mathews slowed off the pace on lap 20 with a cut down tire in turn one to light up the yellow caution bulb for the fifth time.  At the halfway point in the race, Bronson led Whitener, Williams, Page, O’Neal, Franklin, Harris, Bare, and Nevin Gainey of Fort White, FL in the Dunn-Rite Construction Special in the top ten for the restart.

                Bronson was able maintain a healthy lead over Whitener when the field went back to green flag action.  With ten laps to go, Bronson began to negotiate lapped traffic, but Whitener was unable to close the gap.  The sixth and final caution flag for a turn four spin by Seawright on lap 32 bunched the field up for a nine-lap dash to the finish.

                The were no challengers for Bronson in the final nine tours around the 3/8-mile egg-shaped clay oval, and that’s momentum Bronson hopes he can carry into Saturday night’s $10,000-to-win 100-lap 14^th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Bubba Raceway Park.

For more information and rules about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series 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 THE ROCKAUTO.COM WINTER SHOOTOUT ROUND 3 AT BUBBA RACEWAY PARK IN OCALA, FL ON 2/23/18:

POS        STRT     CAR #   DRIVER                               HOMETOWN                     LAPS     $ WON
1.             6              40b         Kyle Bronson                      Brandon, FL                       40           $2,000
2.             2              5w           Mark Whitener                  Middleburg, FL                 40           $1,000
3.             4              89           Justin Williams                  Concord, VA                       40           $700
4.             7              18x         Michael Page                      Douglasville, GA                40           $550
5.             13           2              Dennis Franklin                 Gaffney, SC                         40           $500
6.             15           17           Logan Roberson                 Waynesboro, VA                40           $425
7.             11           24r         Hudson O’Neal                   Martinsville, IN                  40           $375
8.             8              6              Clay Harris                         Jupiter, FL                          40           $350
9.             1              33           Jeff Mathews                       Brandon, FL                       40           $325
10.          19           30           Tyler Bare                           Rockridge Baths, VA        40           $300
11.          20           6x           Nevin Gainey                      Fort White, FL                   40           $275
12.          18           J39         Jimmy Elliott                      Cleveland, TN                     40           $250
13           14           1m          Kevin Maher                       McDavid, FL                       40           $225
14.          16           16           Sam Seawright                   Fort Payne, AL                   40           $200
15.          9              P1           Andy Picklesimer              Ooltewah, TN                     40           $175
16.          23           85           Ronnie Johnson                  Chattanooga, TN               39           $150
17.          12           7a           Corey Almond                    Appomattox, VA                39           $140
18.          24           17ss        Shan Smith                          Dade City, FL                     31           $125
19.          3              R1           Riley Hickman                    Ooltewah, TN                     19           $125
20.          21           1              Conner Meade                    Clay City, KY                     17           $125
21.          10           88           Trent Ivey                            Union, SC                             17           $125
22.          5              RJ1        Keith Barbara                    South Park, PA                   17           $125
23.          22           44           Rhett Carter                        Blackshear, GA                  15           $125
24.          17           14           Don O’Neal                          Martinsville, IN                  13           $125

ENTRIES:  50
SUNOCO/KNOWLES RACE PARTS FAST QUALIFIER:  Mathews. 14.756 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Johnson and Smith
LEAD CHANGES:  1
LAP LEADERS:  Mathews, 1-14; Bronson, 15-40
LAPS LED:  Bronson, 26; Mathews, 14
BEYEA HEADERS HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE:  Roberson (started 15^th and finished 6^th)
CAUTIONS:  6
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  3.529 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  34 Minutes and 47.981 Seconds
NEXT RACE:  February 24, $10,000-to-win, 100-laps, Bubba Raceway Park, Ocala, FL (14^th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race)

SUNOCO/KNOWLES RACE PARTS AND BODIES GROUP QUALIFYING (Top 5 From Each Group Transfer To Main Event):

B-MAINS (12 Laps – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):

                1^ST HEAT:  1. H. O’Neal; 2. Roberson; 3. Bare; 4. Edge; 5. Ownby; 6. Mayfield; 7. Parkhurst; 8. Waters; 9. Lloyd; 10. Trent.

                2^ND HEAT:  1. Almond; 2. Seawright; 3. Gainey; 4. Dykes; 5. Stapleton; 6. Smith; 7. Arthur; 8. Brown; 9. Riner; 10. Dixon.

                3^RD HEAT:  1. Franklin; 2. D. O’Neal; 3. Meade; 4. Chester; 5. Garner; 6. Coulter; 7. Mike; 8. Mollick; 9. Shaw; 10. Frazee.

                4^TH HEAT:  1. Maher; 2. Elliott; 3. Carter; 4. Johnson; 5. Swank; 6. Halford; 7. Boyett; 8. Finley; 9. Kessler; 10. Ray.

ROCKAUTO.COM WINTER SHOOTOUT SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 2/23/18:

POS        CAR #   DRIVER                               POINTS
1.             J39         Jimmy Elliott                      252
2.             85           Ronnie Johnson                  240
3.             16           Sam Seawright                   234
4.             P1           Andy Picklesimer              224
5.             5w           Mark Whitener                  196
5.             40b         Kyle Bronson                      196
7.             18x         Michael Page                      188
8.             17ss        Shan Smith                          176
9.             24r         Hudson O’Neal                   172
9.             17           Logan Roberson                 172
9.             89           Justin Williams                  172
12.          30           Tyler Bare                           168
13.          6h           Clay Harris                         162
14.          2              Dennis Franklin                 146
15.          5d           Rodgerick Dykes                144
16.          14           Don O’Neal                          142
16.          7a           Corey Almond                    142
18.          K37        Drew Kennedy                    130
18.          1              Conner Meade                    130
18.          33           Jeff Mathews                       130

NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is one of the nation’s top GM Powertrain and Performance Dealer seven years running, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast.  Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  Sunoco Race Fuels is the Official Race Fuel of the NeSmith Late Models.  RockAuto.com is an Associate Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  Beyea Headers the NeSmith Late Model Hard Charger Sponsor.  Knowles Race Parts and Bodies is the Official Parts Supplier for the NeSmith Late Models.  Cruise With The Champions is the Official Vacation and Rookie of the Year Sponsor for the NeSmith Late Models.  David Smith Carburetors is the Official Carburetor of NeSmith Racing.  Freestyle Graphix is the Official Wrap, Banner, and Sign Company of NeSmith Racing.  NeSmith Late Model Contingency Sponsors for 2017 are Out-Pace Performance, CrateInsider.Com, Gresham Racing Parts, Knowles Racing Parts and Bodies, and FreeStyle Graphix.  2017 Chassis Sponsors are Trak-Star Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, and CVR Race Cars.