crusapr
07-07-2012, 03:32 AM
PENTON, AL – Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA survived an eventful rain-shortened NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division Salute To America 40 on Friday night at Penton Raceway to pick up his first win of the season in the Hedman Husler Special. Rain cut the scheduled distance to 30 laps.
Turner overcame a crash with a lapped car and then outran William Thomas of Phenix City, AL and the rain for his third career series victory. Turner was trying to lap Cody Kierre of Beebe, AR on lap 17, when Kierre spun his K&E Racing GRT in turn two and collected the top four cars.
Turner was able to restart on the point for the restart, and held off Thomas to the checkered flag that came out when rain moistened the 3/8-mile clay oval to an unsafe condition on lap 30, ten laps short of the scheduled distance. Thomas had a two-race win streak that came to an end with a second-place finish in the J.W. Land and Timber Special.
“I knew William Thomas was right there with me, and I was praying to God that we could hang on to the checkered flag because it was getting really slick out there,” Turner said. “We were lucky to survive the tangle with lapped car. I tried to get around him on the outside, but he slid up in front of me, so I went to the inside in turn two. He got sideways, came across the nose of my car, and we all piled up.”
Larry Harrod of Plains, GA finished third in the Harrod Logging Special and Dana Eiland of Salem, AL took the fourth spot in the Andy’s Auto Special. Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL drove the PW Performance GRT to a fifth-place finish, with Tod Darda of LaGrange, GA in sixth in the PW Performance GRT, and Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL was seventh in the Edge’s Gas Company Special.
Maverick Varnadore of Dover, FL started 16th and finished eighth in the Evergreen Construction Special to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award. Bret Holmes of Munford, AL took the ninth spot in the Holmes II Excavating Special, and Cody Smith of Holt, FL rounded out the top ten in the Smith’s Performance Engines Rocket.
Justin Summers of Greenback, TN finished 11th in the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger “house car” to earn the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race Award.
Turner made it a clean sweep, as he also set fast time with a lap in 14.816 seconds to earn the pole position for the start of the race. With an approaching severe thunderstorm on the horizon, NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series officials had the field in hurry up mode in a race before the race to get it started before the bottom fell out.
Crews had to work fast to get the race cars turned around after qualifying and back to the staging area for the main event with the storm approaching the track from the Northeast. This was especially true for the crew of Michael Blount.
The Sumrall, MS driver lost a driveshaft on his Lamar Auto Salvage GRT coming on to the track to qualify, but his crew, that includes his teenage daughters Jordan and Courtney, also known as “Chad” and “Bootie” respectively, replaced it in time for the feature race. That effort earned Blount’s crew the Integra Racing Shocks Just Made It Award.
When the field took the green flag to start the race, Turner took the lead from the pole position followed by outside front row starter; two-time series champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN in the Eads Farms/Hardy & Associates Warrior, Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC in the CANCO Rocket, Thomas, and Harrod.
Thomas, who started fifth, quickly moved up through the field and passed Gentry for the second spot on lap four. Thomas was racing to stay alive for a $1,000 bonus for winning all three Salute To America Nationals events after winning the first two events on Wednesday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL, and on Thursday night at Penton Raceway.
The first of three caution flags came out on lap six when Frank Wilson of Harold, FL sailed off the outside of the turn three banking. Turner led the field down for the restart followed by Thomas, Gentry, Cantrell, Harrod, Eiland, Summers, Darda, Nowell and Holmes. Turner began to encounter the cars on the tail of the lead lap by the 16th tour.
After Kierre spun in turn two on lap 17 with the leaders breathing down his back bumper, the caution flag came back out. When it was all said and done, Gentry was out for the night with heavy front end damage and credited with an 18th-place finish.
With lightning beginning to flash all around the speedway, the field formed up, but Cantrell had to give up the third spot with a flat left-front tire after being involved in the turn two tangle. That earned Cantrell the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck of the Race Award. Cantrell was able to return to the race and salvaged a 12th-place finish.
Light rain began to fall on the track when they went back to green flag action. Series and Track officials closely monitored the racing surface as the racing went on. Thomas tried to work to the inside of Turner to challenge for the lead, but Turner was able to pull Thomas a car-length down the straightaways.
The track became too slick to safely continue at race speed, so the white and caution flags came out on lap 31, and the race was checkered-flagged the next time around with 30 laps complete. The victory for Turner extended his point lead over Gentry to 56 points in the battle for the $20,000 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Championship.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division will travel to Albany Motor Speedway in Albany, GA on Saturday night for the fourth and final event of the Salute To America Nationals with a 50-lap $2,500-to-win race.
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.
Turner overcame a crash with a lapped car and then outran William Thomas of Phenix City, AL and the rain for his third career series victory. Turner was trying to lap Cody Kierre of Beebe, AR on lap 17, when Kierre spun his K&E Racing GRT in turn two and collected the top four cars.
Turner was able to restart on the point for the restart, and held off Thomas to the checkered flag that came out when rain moistened the 3/8-mile clay oval to an unsafe condition on lap 30, ten laps short of the scheduled distance. Thomas had a two-race win streak that came to an end with a second-place finish in the J.W. Land and Timber Special.
“I knew William Thomas was right there with me, and I was praying to God that we could hang on to the checkered flag because it was getting really slick out there,” Turner said. “We were lucky to survive the tangle with lapped car. I tried to get around him on the outside, but he slid up in front of me, so I went to the inside in turn two. He got sideways, came across the nose of my car, and we all piled up.”
Larry Harrod of Plains, GA finished third in the Harrod Logging Special and Dana Eiland of Salem, AL took the fourth spot in the Andy’s Auto Special. Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL drove the PW Performance GRT to a fifth-place finish, with Tod Darda of LaGrange, GA in sixth in the PW Performance GRT, and Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL was seventh in the Edge’s Gas Company Special.
Maverick Varnadore of Dover, FL started 16th and finished eighth in the Evergreen Construction Special to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award. Bret Holmes of Munford, AL took the ninth spot in the Holmes II Excavating Special, and Cody Smith of Holt, FL rounded out the top ten in the Smith’s Performance Engines Rocket.
Justin Summers of Greenback, TN finished 11th in the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger “house car” to earn the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race Award.
Turner made it a clean sweep, as he also set fast time with a lap in 14.816 seconds to earn the pole position for the start of the race. With an approaching severe thunderstorm on the horizon, NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series officials had the field in hurry up mode in a race before the race to get it started before the bottom fell out.
Crews had to work fast to get the race cars turned around after qualifying and back to the staging area for the main event with the storm approaching the track from the Northeast. This was especially true for the crew of Michael Blount.
The Sumrall, MS driver lost a driveshaft on his Lamar Auto Salvage GRT coming on to the track to qualify, but his crew, that includes his teenage daughters Jordan and Courtney, also known as “Chad” and “Bootie” respectively, replaced it in time for the feature race. That effort earned Blount’s crew the Integra Racing Shocks Just Made It Award.
When the field took the green flag to start the race, Turner took the lead from the pole position followed by outside front row starter; two-time series champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN in the Eads Farms/Hardy & Associates Warrior, Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC in the CANCO Rocket, Thomas, and Harrod.
Thomas, who started fifth, quickly moved up through the field and passed Gentry for the second spot on lap four. Thomas was racing to stay alive for a $1,000 bonus for winning all three Salute To America Nationals events after winning the first two events on Wednesday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL, and on Thursday night at Penton Raceway.
The first of three caution flags came out on lap six when Frank Wilson of Harold, FL sailed off the outside of the turn three banking. Turner led the field down for the restart followed by Thomas, Gentry, Cantrell, Harrod, Eiland, Summers, Darda, Nowell and Holmes. Turner began to encounter the cars on the tail of the lead lap by the 16th tour.
After Kierre spun in turn two on lap 17 with the leaders breathing down his back bumper, the caution flag came back out. When it was all said and done, Gentry was out for the night with heavy front end damage and credited with an 18th-place finish.
With lightning beginning to flash all around the speedway, the field formed up, but Cantrell had to give up the third spot with a flat left-front tire after being involved in the turn two tangle. That earned Cantrell the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck of the Race Award. Cantrell was able to return to the race and salvaged a 12th-place finish.
Light rain began to fall on the track when they went back to green flag action. Series and Track officials closely monitored the racing surface as the racing went on. Thomas tried to work to the inside of Turner to challenge for the lead, but Turner was able to pull Thomas a car-length down the straightaways.
The track became too slick to safely continue at race speed, so the white and caution flags came out on lap 31, and the race was checkered-flagged the next time around with 30 laps complete. The victory for Turner extended his point lead over Gentry to 56 points in the battle for the $20,000 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Championship.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division will travel to Albany Motor Speedway in Albany, GA on Saturday night for the fourth and final event of the Salute To America Nationals with a 50-lap $2,500-to-win race.
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.