crusapr
04-28-2012, 03:33 AM
ALBANY, GA – William Thomas of Phenix City, AL only led 200 feet of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Spring Nationals 40 at Albany Motor Speedway, but it was the distance from the exit of turn four to the checkered flag. Thomas picked up his eighth career NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS win on Friday night in the L.W. Miller Land and Timber Special.
Jake Teague of Oliver Springs, TN led for 39.7 laps in the Wade’s Body Shop Special, but settled for second-place and the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race Award. The lead was exchanged on the final turn of the final lap in heavy lapped traffic.
Teague went to the bottom of the track to try and clear the lapped car of Thomas Lewis of Hamilton, GA in the Green’s Propane Gas Special, and that opened door for Thomas. Teague tried to move back to the high side, but Thomas was there. The top two cars made contact, but Thomas had a run and beat Teague to the checkered flag by .246 seconds.
“When Teague looked to the inside to try and get around the lapped car, that gave me my only chance to by him coming off the high side of turn four on the last lap,” Thomas said. “When we came off the corner, I was coming back down from the high side, Teague was coming up from the inside, and I beat him to the flag.”
Although he was disappointed not to get the win, Teague felt fortunate to have done as well as he did because after the race, he reported a valve train problem the developed halfway through the race.
“During one of the caution flags, William pulled up alongside me, and I kept waiting for him to drive by because my engine fell off the pace halfway through the race,” Teague said. “As long as I was running the high side, I could stay up front, but when I went to the bottom to pass the lapped car, I just didn’t have what I needed to get off the corner. We’ll change engines and be ready to go again for tomorrow night’s race.”
The 2011 VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL finished third in the Edge’s Gas Company Special. Edge started off the evening by setting fast time among the 31 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.357 seconds. Larry Harrod of Plains, GA took the fourth spot in the Harrod Logging Special.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA drove the Hedman Husler to a fifth-place finish, and Anthony White of Clinton, TN made a late-race charge to finish sixth in the J.T. Racing Equipment Stinger. White’s teammate Justin Summers of Greenback, TN grabbed the seventh spot in his J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger.
Anthony Sanders of Spartanburg, SC finished eighth in the Hamrick’s of Gaffney Special, and the defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion Dan Breuer of Troutman, NC was ninth in the AES Racing Special. Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS rounded out the top ten in the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT, and after starting 18th, “Dr. Dirt” was the Hedman Husler of the Race Award winner.
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Dennis Franklin of Gaffney, SC finished 12th in the AES Racing Special to remain on top of the points list, and hold a 20-point lead over Turner.
Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN finished 11th and is third in the points chase, 46 points behind Franklin. Gentry was running fifth in the early laps of the race, but got out of shape coming off the second turn on lap 14 and lost several spots. That earned Gentry the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
Teague took the lead at the start of the race from his outside front row starting spot followed by Edge, Thomas, Harrod, and Gentry. Thomas worked his way around Edge for the second spot on lap 10, and then took off after Teague. Teague was able to hold a two car-length advantage over Thomas, who had a full straightaway gap between himself and Edge by lap 15.
There were four caution flags in the race, and on each restart, Thomas would look to the inside of Teague to challenge for the lead, but Teague would get his car wound up coming off the second turn to pull Thomas down the backstretch.
There was a debris caution on lap 14, and the second caution came out on lap 18 when Lewis and Kitt Sealy of Moultrie, GA in the B&S Concrete Special spun in turn two. Teague led Thomas, Edge, Harrod, Summers, Turner, Sanders, White, Breuer and Frank Wilson of Harold, FL in the Wilson Trak-Star down for the restart.
Turner passed Summers for the fifth spot on lap 20, and Teague began to negotiate lapped traffic on lap 24. Sealy stalled in turn two on lap 27 to bring out the third caution flag that stacked up the field for another restart. When the field went back to green flag action, Stokes moved into the top ten by passing Wilson on lap 28.
Kelly Walker of Moultrie, GA spun the Windy Pond Farms Special in turn four on lap 30 to bring out the fourth and final caution flag to set up an 11 lap dash to the checkered flag. With two laps to go, Teague caught the lapped cars of Lewis and Steve Cooke of Mt. Airy, NC in the AES Special. Cooke went to the inside to give the leaders room, but Thomas took to the outside to try and pass Cooke.
That blocked the leaders as they took the white flag. By the time they reached turn three, Teague made a decision to try and move under the lapped car, and Thomas pounced on the opportunity to go to the high side and pass Teague for the $2,000 win coming off the fourth turn.
In preliminary action, the two 12-lap B-Main Races were won by Franklin and Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC in the CANCO Rocket.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series returns to Albany Motor Speedway for second night of the Spring Nationals on Saturday night with the $2,500-to-win Spring Nationals 50, Round 5 of the 2012 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. You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.
Jake Teague of Oliver Springs, TN led for 39.7 laps in the Wade’s Body Shop Special, but settled for second-place and the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race Award. The lead was exchanged on the final turn of the final lap in heavy lapped traffic.
Teague went to the bottom of the track to try and clear the lapped car of Thomas Lewis of Hamilton, GA in the Green’s Propane Gas Special, and that opened door for Thomas. Teague tried to move back to the high side, but Thomas was there. The top two cars made contact, but Thomas had a run and beat Teague to the checkered flag by .246 seconds.
“When Teague looked to the inside to try and get around the lapped car, that gave me my only chance to by him coming off the high side of turn four on the last lap,” Thomas said. “When we came off the corner, I was coming back down from the high side, Teague was coming up from the inside, and I beat him to the flag.”
Although he was disappointed not to get the win, Teague felt fortunate to have done as well as he did because after the race, he reported a valve train problem the developed halfway through the race.
“During one of the caution flags, William pulled up alongside me, and I kept waiting for him to drive by because my engine fell off the pace halfway through the race,” Teague said. “As long as I was running the high side, I could stay up front, but when I went to the bottom to pass the lapped car, I just didn’t have what I needed to get off the corner. We’ll change engines and be ready to go again for tomorrow night’s race.”
The 2011 VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL finished third in the Edge’s Gas Company Special. Edge started off the evening by setting fast time among the 31 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.357 seconds. Larry Harrod of Plains, GA took the fourth spot in the Harrod Logging Special.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA drove the Hedman Husler to a fifth-place finish, and Anthony White of Clinton, TN made a late-race charge to finish sixth in the J.T. Racing Equipment Stinger. White’s teammate Justin Summers of Greenback, TN grabbed the seventh spot in his J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger.
Anthony Sanders of Spartanburg, SC finished eighth in the Hamrick’s of Gaffney Special, and the defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion Dan Breuer of Troutman, NC was ninth in the AES Racing Special. Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS rounded out the top ten in the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT, and after starting 18th, “Dr. Dirt” was the Hedman Husler of the Race Award winner.
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Dennis Franklin of Gaffney, SC finished 12th in the AES Racing Special to remain on top of the points list, and hold a 20-point lead over Turner.
Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN finished 11th and is third in the points chase, 46 points behind Franklin. Gentry was running fifth in the early laps of the race, but got out of shape coming off the second turn on lap 14 and lost several spots. That earned Gentry the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
Teague took the lead at the start of the race from his outside front row starting spot followed by Edge, Thomas, Harrod, and Gentry. Thomas worked his way around Edge for the second spot on lap 10, and then took off after Teague. Teague was able to hold a two car-length advantage over Thomas, who had a full straightaway gap between himself and Edge by lap 15.
There were four caution flags in the race, and on each restart, Thomas would look to the inside of Teague to challenge for the lead, but Teague would get his car wound up coming off the second turn to pull Thomas down the backstretch.
There was a debris caution on lap 14, and the second caution came out on lap 18 when Lewis and Kitt Sealy of Moultrie, GA in the B&S Concrete Special spun in turn two. Teague led Thomas, Edge, Harrod, Summers, Turner, Sanders, White, Breuer and Frank Wilson of Harold, FL in the Wilson Trak-Star down for the restart.
Turner passed Summers for the fifth spot on lap 20, and Teague began to negotiate lapped traffic on lap 24. Sealy stalled in turn two on lap 27 to bring out the third caution flag that stacked up the field for another restart. When the field went back to green flag action, Stokes moved into the top ten by passing Wilson on lap 28.
Kelly Walker of Moultrie, GA spun the Windy Pond Farms Special in turn four on lap 30 to bring out the fourth and final caution flag to set up an 11 lap dash to the checkered flag. With two laps to go, Teague caught the lapped cars of Lewis and Steve Cooke of Mt. Airy, NC in the AES Special. Cooke went to the inside to give the leaders room, but Thomas took to the outside to try and pass Cooke.
That blocked the leaders as they took the white flag. By the time they reached turn three, Teague made a decision to try and move under the lapped car, and Thomas pounced on the opportunity to go to the high side and pass Teague for the $2,000 win coming off the fourth turn.
In preliminary action, the two 12-lap B-Main Races were won by Franklin and Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC in the CANCO Rocket.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series returns to Albany Motor Speedway for second night of the Spring Nationals on Saturday night with the $2,500-to-win Spring Nationals 50, Round 5 of the 2012 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. You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.