4.28.18 NeSmith Late Models Results

EASTABOGA, AL – Three-time NeSmith/Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN picked up his series-leading 28^th career win Saturday night at Talladega Short Track driving the Josh Roberts Trucking Special.  The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee paced himself to lead all 50 laps of the race.

               Andy Picklesimer of Ooltewah, TN stayed within a couple of car-lengths of Johnson, but couldn’t muster up enough momentum to challenge for the lead and finished second in the Hyma Motorsports Special.  Michael Page of Douglasville, GA battled with Riley Hickman of Ooltewah, TN for most of the race.

               Page took the third spot in the Baird Transport Stinger and Hickman was fourth in the Hickman Manufacturing CVR.  Heath Hindman started tenth and finished fifth in the Hindman Motorsports Special to earn the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race Award. 

Two-time and defending NeSmith/Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Cory Hedgecock of Loudon, TN padded his point lead with a sixth-place effort in the Eagle Racing Engines Rocket.  Sam Seawright of Fort Payne, AL took the seventh spot in the J&R Lumber Special.

Rodgerick Dykes of Smith Station, AL drove the Braswell Bodies Warrior to an eighth-place finish, and ninth went to Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL in the Harrod Logging Special.  Chase Walls of Decherd, TN rounded out the top ten in the Walls Racing Special.  Ashton Winger of Senoia, GA finished 11^th and was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race.

In preliminary action, Johnson out-timed the 45 entrants in Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Qualifying with a lap around Talladega Short Track in 14.928 seconds.  The four ten-lap B-Main Races were won by Jake Knowles of Rome, GA in the Curbow Logging Rocket, Dykes, Winger, and Nowell.

Johnson elected the outside front row starting spot for the start of the race and took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Picklesimer, Seawright, Hickman and Page.  Hickman drove under Seawright for the third spot on lap five, and by lap 12, Johnson had caught the cars on the tail of the lead lap.

The first of three caution flags came out on lap 13 when Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS stalled the B&M Salvage Rocket in turn four.  The field lined up for the Dixie-Style Double-File Restart with Johnson out front by himself followed by Picklesimer, Hickman, Seawright, Page, Hedgecock, Hindman, Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, TN in the Car Smart Auto Sales Special, Dykes and Nowell doubled up behind the leader.

A false start brought out caution flag number two, but when the green light came back on, Page got by Seawright for fourth.  Johnson had caught lapped traffic by lap 26, but it went away on lap 29 when the caution flag came out for T.J. Brittain of Centre, AL, who stalled the Brittain Hauling Warrior in turn two.

Johnson had Picklesimer, Hickman, Page, Seawright, Hindman, Hedgecock, Dykes, Walls, and Nowell doubled up behind him for the restart.  When the field went back to racing speed, Hindman and Hedgecock drove by Seawright to take over the fifth and sixth spots respectively.  By lap 35, Johnson and Picklesimer had pulled out to a ten car-length lead over Hickman and Page, who were battling for the third spot.

Johnson seemed to use his experience at one of his favorite tracks to pace himself just enough to keep Picklesimer behind him, and the lapped traffic in front of him during the final ten laps of the race.  There was no pacing in the battle for third, as Page drove by Hickman for the position on lap 47.  Johnson took the checkered flag with a .647 second margin of victory.

The next two races on the 2018 NeSmith/Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series schedule will take them to South Georgia on May 18 and May 19.  Oglethorpe Speedway Park in Savannah, GA is scheduled for a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race on Friday night, May 18, and then the action moves to Cochran Motor Speedway in Cochran, GA for a $2,500-to-win 50-lap event on Saturday night, May 19.

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 ROUND 4 AT TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK IN EASTABOGA, AL ON 4/28/18:

POS       STRT    CAR #   DRIVER                             HOMETOWN                   LAPS     $ WON
1.            1             85           Ronnie Johnson                Chattanooga, TN             50           $2,500
2.            2             P1          Andy Picklesimer            Ooltewah, TN                    50           $1,250
3.            4             18x        Michael Page                    Douglasville, GA              50           $850
4.            6             R1          Riley Hickman                 Ooltewah, TN                    50           $700
5.            10           91           Heath Hindman                Eastaboga, AL                  50           $650
6.            5             23           Cory Hedgecock              Loudon, TN                       50           $550
7.            3             16           Sam Seawright                 Fort Payne, AL                 50           $500
8.            12           5d           Rodgerick Dykes             Smith Station, AL            50           $450
9.            14           27t         Terrence Nowell               Phenix City, AL                50           $400
10.          9             25           Chase Walls                      Decherd, TN                      50           $375
11.          13           12           Ashton Winger (R)          Senoia, GA                         50           $350
12.          7             J39        Jimmy Elliott                    Cleveland, TN                   50           $300
13.          11           66           Jake Knowles                   Rome, GA                          50           $280
14.          18           11           Cruz Skinner                    Oxford, AL                        50           $260
15.          16           232        Jamey Boland (R)            Cuba, AL                            50           $250
16.          20           17jr       Tyler Wood                       Hohenwald, TN                 50           $240
17.          17           18           Chase Edge                        Lafayette, AL                   50           $220
18.          22           1b           Bryant Marsh (R)            Corinth, MS                      50           $200
19.          21           6             Clay Harris                       Jupiter, FL                        50           $200
20.          19           C6          Oakley Johns                    Hohenwald, TN                 50           $200
21.          24           05           T.J. Brittain                      Centre, AL                         49           $200
22.          23           19           Marcus Minga                  Shannon, MS                     48           $200
23.          15           27           Brad Berry                        Attalla, AL                        32           $200
24.          8             67           Jadon Frame                     Decherd, TN                      2             $200

ENTRIES:  45
KNOWLES RACE PARTS AND BODIES FAST QUALIFIER:  Johnson, 14.928 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Minga and Brittain
LEAD CHANGES:  None
DURRENCE LAYNE CHEVROLET ROLL WITH COLE AWARD:  Johnson, Led 50 Laps
BEYEA HEADERS HARD CHARGER AWARD:  Hindman (started 10^th and finished 5^th)
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Winger
CAUTIONS:  3
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  .647 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  19 Minutes and 58.618 Seconds
NEXT EVENT:  May 18, Oglethorpe Raceway Park, Savannah, GA, $2,000-to-win, 40-laps; May 19, Cochran Motor Speedway, Cochran, GA, $2,500-to-win, 50-laps.

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

B-MAIN RACES (10-Laps – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):

               1^ST B-MAIN:  1. Knowles; 2. Berry; 3. Harris; 4. Griffin; 5. Clem; 6. Freeman; 7. Halford; 8. Mullinax.

               2^ND B-MAIN:  1. Dykes; 2. Boland (R); 3. Wood; 4. Duplissey; 5. Stapleton; 6. Gauldin; 7. Rainey; 8. Walker; 9. Martin.

               3^RD B-MAIN:  1. Winger (R); 2. Edge; 3. Johns; 4. Turner; 5. Henderson; 6. White;7. Brocato; 8. Minga; 9. Burdett; 10. Horton DNS.

               4^TH B-MAIN:  1. Nowell; 2. Skinner; 3. Marsh (R); 4. Brittain; 5. Britton; 6. Maxwell; 7. Burns; 8. Carr DNS.

NeSMITH/DURRENCE LAYNE CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 4/28/18:

1. 23 Cory Hedgecock – 376
   2. 12 Ashton Winger (R) – 342
   3. 66 Jake Knowles – 318
   4. P1 Andy Picklesimer – 302
   5. 1b Bryant March (R) – 290
   6. 05 T.J. Brittain – 282
   7. 232 Jamey Boland (R) – 276
   8. 19 Marcus Minga – 268
   9. 32 Chad Stapleton – 242
   10. 22 Austin Burns – 230
   11. 17 Matt Henderson – 226
   11. C6 Oakley Johns – 226
   13. 17jr Tyler Wood – 214
   14. 85 Ronnie Johnson – 194
   15. 18x Michael Page – 190
   16. 56 Colton Horner – 168
   16. 16 Sam Seawright – 168
   18. 713 Ben Brocato – 164
   19. 95 Brandon Williams – 162
   20. 11 Cruz Skinner – 160
   20. 25 Chase Walls – 160

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 NeSmith Late Models.  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 NeSmith Late Models.  Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Late Models.  VP Racing Fuels and Lubricants is the Official Race Fuel and Lubricant 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, 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.