NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 26 Preview

CARTERSVILLE, GA – There are two weeks left in the 27-week 2015 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season, with 12 drivers still battling for the second through tenth points fund-paying spots in the standings. Drivers looking for points this weekend will have their choice of one of two Saturday night Week 26 venues, Battleground Race Park in Highlands, TX and Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL.

These 12 drivers are looking for an opportunity to join the 2015 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS at the Annual NeSmith Racing Awards Banquet in January at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and Thunder Road Museum in Dawsonville, GA.

Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, MS is currently second in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 694 points. Palasini is looking to finish second in the points chase for the third straight season, and in the last two weeks of the season, the third-generation driver will be looking to net on a pair of 49-point second-place finishes.

That means Palasini will have to post a 50-point win in each of the final two weeks to gain any points, with the potential to end the season with a best 14 week total of 696 points. Palasini has one driver that can challenge him for the second spot, and he will be racing this Saturday night at his home track, Talladega Short Track.

Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL, the 14-year-old Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series point leader among NeSmith Late Model driver 18 years of age and younger, is third in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings with a best 14 week total of 689 points. Skinner will be looking to net on a 47 and a 48 in the last two weeks of the season, and the potential to total 694 points.

That could bring up a tie-breaker scenario between Palasini and Skinner for the second spot. A win over the next two weeks seals the deal for Palasini. If Palasini doesn’t win a race in the next two weeks and Skinner wins twice to tie Palasini in points, those would be Skinner’s seventh and eighth 50-point wins of the season. Palasini currently has eight wins, so top five finishes could come into play.

As mentioned, Skinner will more than likely be at his home track, Talladega Short Track, this Saturday night where he has six wins this season. While the youngster looks ahead at challenging Palasini, he will also have three veteran competitors right behind him with a chance to end up third in the point standings.

Robbie Starnes of Livingston, TX is fourth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 688 points. Starnes will be looking to net on a pair of 48s in the last two weeks of the season, and the potential to end the season with a total of 692 points. Starnes will more than likely be in action at his home track this Saturday night, Battleground Race Park.

The 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Noah Daspit of Kiln, MS is fifth in the standings with a best 14 week total of 685 points. Daspit has two weeks to try and net on a 45 and a 47, with an opportunity to end the season with 693 points. Daspit has been known to make road trips, as he won a race last season at Battleground Race Park.

Greg Fore of Greenville, MS is sixth in the current standings with a best 14 week total of 684 points, and the potential to challenge for the third spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series points chase. Fore will be trying to net on a 47 and a 48 in the final two weeks of the season with a chance to total out at 689 points.

Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS will be looking to hang on to the seventh spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 675 points. Lee will be looking to net on a pair of 47s that could bring his season total up to 681 points. Lee has one driver that will try and challenge him for the seventh spot.

Joseph Joiner of Milton, FL is eighth in the standings with a best 14 week total of 668 points. Joiner will try and net on a pair of 46s in the final two weeks of the 2015 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season that could bring his total up to 676 points. Joiner also leads the NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series point standings.

Cole Daffron of Pell City, AL is ninth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 656 points. Daffron will be trying to net on a pair of 45s in the last two weeks of the season, and bring his season total to 666 points in an effort to hang on to the ninth spot. The 17-year-old driver is second in the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series points.

Bobby Jordan of McCarley, MS is on the hot seat with two weeks to go in the season, as he currently holds the tenth and final points fund-paying spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 653 points.

Jordan will be trying to help his cause in the final two weeks of the season by trying to net on a 41 and a 44. Two 50-point wins would bring Jordan’s season total to 668 points. There are three drivers behind Jordan in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings that have a legitimate shot of racing themselves into the Top 10 in the last two weeks of the season.

Jamey Boland of Cuba, AL is the first driver on the outside looking in, as the second-generation driver is 11th in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 647 points. Boland has the opportunity to net on a 41 and a 44 in the final two weeks of the season, and two 50-point wins would bring his season total up to 662 points.

The youngest driver in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series, 12-year-old Colton Horner of Katy, TX, has an opportunity to sit at the banquet table among the Top 10 drivers. Horner, who is third in the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series points, is 12th in the National standings with a best 14 week total of 639 points.

Horner will have the opportunity to net on a 42 and a 44 in the final two weeks of the season and add 14 points to his season total bringing it to 653. That could bring about another tie-breaker scenario between Horner and Jordan with top five finishes coming into play.

Sitting back in the 14th spot of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 627 points is Kevin Sitton of Baytown, TX. Sitton could possibly make the biggest move of any driver in the standings during the last two weeks of the season, as he has yet to reach the 14 week mark of his 2015 season, and still has one more week to earn full points.

To reach the Top 10 of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings, all Sitton has to do is start a main event this Saturday night and score 41 points. That would give Sitton a 14 week total of 668 points and the potential of reaching the seventh spot in the points chase.

Sitton will try to record a 50-point win this Saturday night to reach his 14th week of the season. Sitton will more than likely attempt to do this at his home track, Battleground Race Park, where he put together a streak of six straight wins earlier this season. That would bring his season total to 677 points, good enough for possibly the seventh spot.

Then in the final week of the season, Sitton would try and net on the lowest weekly total among his 14, which is a 41. A 50-point win by Sitton in Week 27 of the 2015 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season would net him another nine points, and bring his season total to 686 points. That gives Sitton the potential to reach the fifth spot in the standings in the final week of the season.

Drivers in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series will compete against each other nationally using a points system that will count their best 14 weekly point totals over a 27-week season from March 23 through September 27. The $20,000 National point fund will pay $10,000 to the National Champion and pay back to the Top 10 drivers in the final point standings.

NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series competitors have the option of two different economical Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engines to compete with. The aluminum-head 400 horsepower 604 engine costs $5,795 and the steel-head 350 horsepower Chevrolet Performance 602 Circle Track Engine with a 100-pound weight break costs $3,495.

Both of these Chevrolet Performance Racing Engines are in stock and available at NeSmith Chevrolet in Claxton, GA with free next day delivery anywhere in the Southeast. To place an order, call Tim Bland at 1-877-497-3624.

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.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES WEEKS 26-27 MASTER SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

WEEK 26:

September 19:

BATTLEGROUND RACE PARK – HIGHLANDS, TX
TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK – EASTABOGA, AL

WEEK 27:

September 25:

HATTIESBURG SPEEDWAY – HATTIESBURG, MS
MAGNOLIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY – COLUMBUS, MS
SALINA SPEEDWAY – SALINA, KS

September 26:

CAMDEN SPEEDWAY – CAMDEN, TN
MAGNOLIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY – COLUMBUS, MS