Elliott Wins Tough Tazewell NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Race

TAZEWELL, TN – There’s a famous saying in racing that to finish first, one must first finish. That was the strategy Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, TN used to win his first NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series race in his first start in the series in the 40-lap main event on Saturday night at Tazewell Speedway driving the Car Smart Auto Sales CVR.

After starting second in the race, Elliott dropped back to the sixth spot in the action packed early laps of the race, but as the competitors in front of him fell to the wayside for various reasons, Elliott took over the lead on lap 23 after leader Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS dropped out, and then he held off a late race challenge from Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL to take the $2,000 win.

“I fell back early in the race, and that time, I didn’t think I had a very good race car, but as the drivers in front of me kept falling out, the race just came to me,” Elliott said. “I didn’t have anything for Johnny Stokes, and I hated he fell out the way he did, but I’ll take the win.”

Bronson was able to get close to Elliott in the closing laps of the race, but couldn’t make a challenge for the lead and had to settle for second in the Brandon Ford Warrior and was also the Rookie of the Race.

National Dirt Hall of Fame Inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN charged back through the field after changing a cut tire on lap 8 to finish third in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special and took over the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point lead. Johnson now holds a 16 point lead over Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL, who finished 16th.

Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS started shotgun on the field in the 24th starting spot, and drove the Custom Spraying, Inc. GRT to a fourth-place finish to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award. Josh Adkins of Talladega, AL joined Bronson and Barrett as the third Rookie of the Year candidate in the top five with a fifth-place finish in the Yellow Hammer Construction Special.

Mike Smith of Rogersville, TN finished sixth in the Vicars Construction GRT, and Chris Chandler of Weaverville, NC took the seventh spot in the TNT Race Cars TNT. Jake Teague of Oliver Springs, TN was eighth in the Wade’s Body Shop Special, and Tait Davenport of Benton, KY drove the Murtco, Inc. Special to a ninth-place finish.

Defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA rounded out the Top 10 in the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger. A high attrition rate saw just nine cars running at the finish of the race.

In preliminary action, Chirrs Wilson of Crossville, TN took fast time honors with a lap around the ¼-mile high-banked clay oval in 12.372 seconds driving the Dale’s Auto Sales GRT to earn the pole position for the main event. The two ten-lap B-Main Races were won by Jason Trammell of Powell, TN in the Trammell Construction Special and Mack McCarter of Gatlinburg, TN in the McCarter Lumber Company Special.

The tone of the first half of the race was set on the first lap when a multi-car pile-up in turn two sent Justin McRee of Cottondale, AL in the High Roller Race Cars Special and Trammell to the pit area and out of the race. Wilson took the lead on the complete restart followed by Stokes, Elliott, Johnson and McCarter.

Forrest Trent of Talbot, TN spun the Trent Logging Rocket in turn three on lap two to bring out the caution flag. Wilson led Stokes, Elliott, Johnson, McCarter, Bobby Mays of Jonesborough, TN, Greg Huskey of Knoxville, TN, Bronson, Brian Courtney of Knoxville, TN, and Hollingsworth back to the green flag.

Johnson made an outside move and passed Elliott for the third spot on the restart. McCarter and Mays also got around Elliott, dropping him back to the sixth spot on lap five. Stokes closed in on Wilson to challenge for the lead, and made the pass for the point coming off the fourth turn on lap six.

Davenport stopped on the high side of turn two on lap seven with damage on the front of his race car to bring out the third caution flag. Stokes led Wilson, Johnson, McCarter, Mays, Elliott, Bronson, Husky, Hollingsworth and Courtney down for the restart.

McCarter was on the move as he tried to thread the needle in turn three on the restart by driving around the outside of Johnson, and then dove to the bottom in an attempt to pass Wilson for second. McCarter slid up the banking in turn four and made contact with Wilson. Adam Beeler of Knoxville, TN brought out the next caution flag when he went up in smoke on lap eight.

During the caution period, Wilson stopped on the front stretch and had to have his race car towed to the pit area. Johnson then drove to the pits to change a cut tire. Another top five driver, Mays, gave up the fifth spot to head his McCroskey Trucking GRT to pit road.

By the time the field lined up to go back to green, Stokes had a completely different cast of characters doubled up behind him with McCarter, Elliott, Huskey, Bronson, Hollingsworth, Courtney, Turner, and Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC in the CANCO Rocket running second through ninth respectively.

Hollingsworth made a big move in the next few laps, as he drove the Sparks Motorsport Special from sixth to fourth by lap 10. Courtney gave up the seventh spot on lap 13 when he slowed on the race track in the Mighty Muffler CVR to bring out the caution flag. The Top 10 for the restart was Stokes, McCarter, Elliott, Hollingsworth, Huskey, Bronson, Cantrell, Turner, Justin Beeler of Knoxville, TN, and Smith.

Turner spun on the restart in turn two to relight the caution bulb, and when the field was under the yellow flag, McCarter gave up the second spot when he went to the pit area and was out for the night. The reshuffling of the Top 10 saw Stokes now leading Elliott, Hollingsworth, Huskey, Bronson, Cantrell, Justin Beeler in the Thomas J. Beeler Construction Stinger, Smith, Johnson, and Adkins.

Hollingsworth sailed around the outside of Elliott on the restart to take over the second spot, and Johnson was charging back to the front of the pack, as he passed Smith for the eighth spot. Barrett made it up to the ninth spot after the restart. The field stayed green to lap 18 when Chandler spun in turn four to bring out a caution flag.

The Top 10 got reshuffled once again after the restart when Hollingsworth spun out of the second spot in turn two. The next restart was yellow flagged for debris in turn four, and during the caution period, Smith pitted out of the sixth spot with a cut tire.

Stokes now led Elliott, Huskey, Bronson, Cantrell, Johnson, Barrett, Adkins, and Roger Best of Louisville, TN in the Young Motorsports Warrior down for the restart. When the field back to green flag action, Johnson sailed around Cantrell for the fifth spot, and Bronson got by Huskey for third coming off the fourth turn.

At the halfway point in the race, Stokes in the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT held a half-straightaway lead over Elliott and was pulling away. On lap 23, Huskey fell off the pace while running fourth, and took the Kenny Ford Plumbing TNT to the pit area.

Just when Stokes seemed to have the field covered, his night ended in a ball of flame on lap 24. The track safety crew put the fire out, Stokes was O.K., but he was done for the night. That gave the lead to Elliott followed by Bronson, Johnson, Barrett, Adkins, Best, Cantrell, Trent, Turner, and Smith in the Top 10.

Cantrell, Trent and Turner were battling for the sixth spot on lap 26 when Turner lifted up the back of Cantrell’s car going down the backstretch, and Cantrell spun in turn three, made contact with Trent, and hit the inside wall. Trent hit the outside wall head on, and the final yellow flag of the race was out.

Cantrell and Trent were done for the night, but both drivers were O.K. Turner was charged with his second caution flag of the race, and he also was done for the night. The remaining nine cars on the track completed the remaining 15 laps without incident. Bronson got to within a car length of Elliott, but the leader was able to pull away in the closing laps of the race.

While Elliott was the first to admit that there were faster cars than his in the race, they were all in the pits when Elliott took the checkered flag and the $2,000 victory in the 40-lap race.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, TN to compete in two different races. They will complete the remaining 26 laps of the $4,000-to-win 2nd Annual J.T. Kerr Memorial 40 that was red flagged by rain with 14 laps in the books on June 1, and then they run another complete show with a 50-lap $2,500-to-win race.

For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit the series all-new 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.