crusapr
10-08-2011, 05:05 AM
GREENVILLE, MS – Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS drove the TJC Mortgage/Maximum Signs and Graphics GRT to a close win on Friday night in the Delta Nationals 40 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Greenville Speedway. Stokes won a close race to the checkered flag over Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA and Mark Tice of Avon, MS.
The top three cars came off the fourth turn for the checkered flag three-wide with Stokes taking his second career series win. Turner finished second in the Hedman Husler, and Tice took the third spot in the Precision Marine Trak-Star. Tice was also the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race.
“I was running the bottom of the track during the first half of the race, but I moved up to the middle groove to see how my car ran there,” Stokes said. “Late in the race I saw Matthew stick his nose underneath me, so I got my butt back down on the bottom of the race track. They could have all of that outside groove they wanted.”
The VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year point leader Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL drove the Tower Maintenance Special to a fourth-place finish, and Bo Gordon of Shaw, MS was fifth in the Gordon Racing Rocket.
Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN finished sixth in the Eads Farms/Dixon Plumbing Warrior and Neil Baggett of Shannon, MS was seventh in the Montgomery Farms Special.
Chase Washington of Houlka, MS started 19th and finished eighth in the North Central Logging Special to earn the Hedman Husler Award. Ashley Newman of Mercer, TN took the ninth spot in the 45 Race Shop GRT, and Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL rounded out the top ten in the Summit Resource Development Trak-Star.
Shaw out-timed the 45-car field in qualifications with a lap around the ¼-mile high-banked gumbo clay oval in 14.882 seconds. The four ten-lap heat races were won by Edge, Bobby Jordan of McCarley, MS in the Henderson Waste and Recycling Trak-Star, Greg Fore of Greenville, MS in the Frost Top Special, and Gordon. Washington and Jake Knight of Georgetown, MS in the Got Dirt, Inc. Trak-Star won the two 12-lap B-Main races.
Stokes, Shaw and Turner battled three-wide for the lead at the drop of the green flag, but the start was negated by a multi-car pile-up midway through the 24-car starting field in turn two on lap one that necessitated a complete restart. Stokes took the lead on the next green flag followed by Shaw, Turner, Tice and Baggett.
A lap two caution flag for debris bunched up the field and the third caution flag of the race came out on the restart when NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Dan Breuer of Troutman, NC spun the AES Racing Special in turn four. Stokes led Shaw, Turner, Tice, Baggett, Duke Palasini of Leland, MS in the Palasini Farms Special, and Gordon down for the green flag.
Turner went around the outside of Shaw down the backstretch to take the second spot on lap four. The caution came back out on lap seven when Gentry got into Fore causing him to spin in turn four. The line-up for the restart was Stokes leading Turner, Shaw, Tice, Gordon, Edge, Palasini, Baggett, Jordan and Fore.
Shaw was able to get back around Turner for the second spot on the restart with an onside move coming off the fourth turn. Turner drove back around the outside of Shaw going down the backstretch on lap 12 to retake the second spot, and Tice followed him around Shaw to move up to the third position.
Gordon passed Shaw for the fourth spot with an outside move in turn two on lap 14. One lap later, Gordon got high in turn fourth, and Shaw drove underneath him to retake the fourth spot. By the halfway point, Turner began to close on Stokes, who reached lapped traffic by lap 22. Palasini got by Gordon for the fifth spot on lap 22.
Stokes opened up a half-straightaway advantage over Turner by lap 27 working through lapped traffic. Stokes’ lead was erased when Breuer stalled in turn three to bring out the caution flag. Breuer was done for the night after being ticketed with his second charged caution flag. That earned the series point leader the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
Breuer was credited with the 19th finishing position. That combined with Gentry’s sixth-place finish closed Gentry to within ten points of Breuer for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point lead.
Palasini dropped out of the fifth spot and went to the pit area during the lap 27 caution period while Stokes led Turner, Tice, Shaw, Gordon, Baggett, Edge, John Polasini of Leland, MS in the Polasini Racing Special, Newman and Gentry down for the restart. Tice stepped to the outside and raced Turner side-by-side for the second spot in turn four after the restart.
Steve Cooke of Mt. Airy, NC spun the AES Racing Special in turn four on lap 30 to bring out the seventh and final caution flag of the race. Stokes led Tice, Turner, Gordon, Edge, Shaw, Gentry, Baggett, Newman and Polasini down to the green flag for the ten lap dash to the finish. It didn’t take long for business to pick up throughout the top ten.
Turner drove underneath Tice coming off the fourth turn on the restart to take the second back over, and Edge got by Gordon for the fourth spot. Gentry passed Gordon for fifth on lap 33, while Turner and Tice chased down Stokes.
Stokes and Turner were side-by-side for the lead on lap 35. Turner was looking inside down the front straightaway, and by the time they got to turn two on lap 36, Stokes went from the middle groove to the bottom of the race track to shut the door on Turner.
On the last lap, Turner found an opening on the inside in turn three, and Tice was flying high on the top of the race track. Coming off the fourth turn to the checkered flag, it was Stokes leading in the middle groove, Turner on the inside in second the second spot, and Tice on the outside holding the third spot in a blanket finish.
More of the same action is expected when the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series returns to Greenville Speedway on Saturday night for the $2,500-to-win Delta Nationals 50, Round 13 of the 2011 season.
For more information 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.
The top three cars came off the fourth turn for the checkered flag three-wide with Stokes taking his second career series win. Turner finished second in the Hedman Husler, and Tice took the third spot in the Precision Marine Trak-Star. Tice was also the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race.
“I was running the bottom of the track during the first half of the race, but I moved up to the middle groove to see how my car ran there,” Stokes said. “Late in the race I saw Matthew stick his nose underneath me, so I got my butt back down on the bottom of the race track. They could have all of that outside groove they wanted.”
The VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year point leader Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL drove the Tower Maintenance Special to a fourth-place finish, and Bo Gordon of Shaw, MS was fifth in the Gordon Racing Rocket.
Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN finished sixth in the Eads Farms/Dixon Plumbing Warrior and Neil Baggett of Shannon, MS was seventh in the Montgomery Farms Special.
Chase Washington of Houlka, MS started 19th and finished eighth in the North Central Logging Special to earn the Hedman Husler Award. Ashley Newman of Mercer, TN took the ninth spot in the 45 Race Shop GRT, and Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL rounded out the top ten in the Summit Resource Development Trak-Star.
Shaw out-timed the 45-car field in qualifications with a lap around the ¼-mile high-banked gumbo clay oval in 14.882 seconds. The four ten-lap heat races were won by Edge, Bobby Jordan of McCarley, MS in the Henderson Waste and Recycling Trak-Star, Greg Fore of Greenville, MS in the Frost Top Special, and Gordon. Washington and Jake Knight of Georgetown, MS in the Got Dirt, Inc. Trak-Star won the two 12-lap B-Main races.
Stokes, Shaw and Turner battled three-wide for the lead at the drop of the green flag, but the start was negated by a multi-car pile-up midway through the 24-car starting field in turn two on lap one that necessitated a complete restart. Stokes took the lead on the next green flag followed by Shaw, Turner, Tice and Baggett.
A lap two caution flag for debris bunched up the field and the third caution flag of the race came out on the restart when NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Dan Breuer of Troutman, NC spun the AES Racing Special in turn four. Stokes led Shaw, Turner, Tice, Baggett, Duke Palasini of Leland, MS in the Palasini Farms Special, and Gordon down for the green flag.
Turner went around the outside of Shaw down the backstretch to take the second spot on lap four. The caution came back out on lap seven when Gentry got into Fore causing him to spin in turn four. The line-up for the restart was Stokes leading Turner, Shaw, Tice, Gordon, Edge, Palasini, Baggett, Jordan and Fore.
Shaw was able to get back around Turner for the second spot on the restart with an onside move coming off the fourth turn. Turner drove back around the outside of Shaw going down the backstretch on lap 12 to retake the second spot, and Tice followed him around Shaw to move up to the third position.
Gordon passed Shaw for the fourth spot with an outside move in turn two on lap 14. One lap later, Gordon got high in turn fourth, and Shaw drove underneath him to retake the fourth spot. By the halfway point, Turner began to close on Stokes, who reached lapped traffic by lap 22. Palasini got by Gordon for the fifth spot on lap 22.
Stokes opened up a half-straightaway advantage over Turner by lap 27 working through lapped traffic. Stokes’ lead was erased when Breuer stalled in turn three to bring out the caution flag. Breuer was done for the night after being ticketed with his second charged caution flag. That earned the series point leader the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
Breuer was credited with the 19th finishing position. That combined with Gentry’s sixth-place finish closed Gentry to within ten points of Breuer for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point lead.
Palasini dropped out of the fifth spot and went to the pit area during the lap 27 caution period while Stokes led Turner, Tice, Shaw, Gordon, Baggett, Edge, John Polasini of Leland, MS in the Polasini Racing Special, Newman and Gentry down for the restart. Tice stepped to the outside and raced Turner side-by-side for the second spot in turn four after the restart.
Steve Cooke of Mt. Airy, NC spun the AES Racing Special in turn four on lap 30 to bring out the seventh and final caution flag of the race. Stokes led Tice, Turner, Gordon, Edge, Shaw, Gentry, Baggett, Newman and Polasini down to the green flag for the ten lap dash to the finish. It didn’t take long for business to pick up throughout the top ten.
Turner drove underneath Tice coming off the fourth turn on the restart to take the second back over, and Edge got by Gordon for the fourth spot. Gentry passed Gordon for fifth on lap 33, while Turner and Tice chased down Stokes.
Stokes and Turner were side-by-side for the lead on lap 35. Turner was looking inside down the front straightaway, and by the time they got to turn two on lap 36, Stokes went from the middle groove to the bottom of the race track to shut the door on Turner.
On the last lap, Turner found an opening on the inside in turn three, and Tice was flying high on the top of the race track. Coming off the fourth turn to the checkered flag, it was Stokes leading in the middle groove, Turner on the inside in second the second spot, and Tice on the outside holding the third spot in a blanket finish.
More of the same action is expected when the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series returns to Greenville Speedway on Saturday night for the $2,500-to-win Delta Nationals 50, Round 13 of the 2011 season.
For more information 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.