Herrington Pads Point Lead With Needmore Crate Racin’ USA Win

NORMAN PARK, GA – Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, GA padded his Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series point lead by taking his fourth win of the season on Saturday night at Needmore Speedway. Herrington led all 50 laps on his way to the $4,000 top prize driving the 5m Construction Rocket.

“I knew we had a fast car last night in the practice session, so after a few laps, I brought it in and put it in the trailer for tonight,” Herrington said. “The timing of the caution flags also went our way tonight because about the time we would get bogged up in lapped traffic, a caution flag would come out and I would have a clear race track in front of me for the restart.”

Herrington took the checkered flag with a 1.068 second margin of victory over Jimmy Thomas of Phenix City, AL in the Scorpion Race Cars Special, but Thomas was light at the scales and penalized to the 25th finishing position. That gave the second spot to Jordy Nipper of Macon, GA in the Scotty’s Muffler Rocket.

Parker Martin of Milledgeville, GA had a career-high finish of third in the Martin Industrial Contractors Special. The 16-year-old VP Racing Fuels Young Gun Challenge Series driver was also the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race. Jeff Mathews of Brandon, FL took the fourth spot in the CURS Rocket.

Mark Whitener of Middleburg, FL was fifth in the Baker Farms Special and Russell Brown of Valdosta, GA drove the Georgia 811 Special to a sixth-place finish. Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA started 24th in the Clayton Signs/Gentry’s Used Auto Parts Special and finished seventh to earn the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Hard Charger of the Race Award.

Ches Chester of Twin City, GA finished eighth in the Georgia Equipment Company Rocket and Corey Dunn of Milledgeville, GA was ninth in the Georgia Timber CVR. John Baker of Norman Park, GA rounded out the top ten in the Baker Farms Rocket.

In preliminary action, Cody Overton of Evans, GA out-timed the 33-car field with a lap around Needmore Speedway in 15.265 seconds in the Budweiser Special during Group Qualifying. The lap was worth $100 from Boyd Built Fabricators, $100 from Scorpion Race Cars, and a three-day trip to Panama City Beach, FL from iHeart Radio.

The two ten-lap KRC Power Steering B-Main Races were won by Bubba Whitener of Middleburg, FL in the Baker Farms Special and Dalton Hood of Vidalia, GA in the Pittman Concrete Rocket.

Herrington took the lead at the drop of the green flag from the pole position followed by Nipper, Overton, Thomas, and Martin. The first of eight caution flags came out on lap three when Cody Smith of Baker, FL got his Ward Built Fabricators Rocket sideways coming off the fourth turn and collected several other cars before the dust cleared.

Overton dropped out of the race on the restart while running third, and Crane came from seventh to fourth in lap four. Jake Rainey of Hiram, GA stalled the Harrod Logging Special on the backstretch to light up the yellow caution bulb on lap eight. The top ten for the Dixie-Style Double-File Restart was Herrington, Nipper, Thomas, Crane, Martin, Mathews, Christian Hanger of Winchester, TN in the Hanger Hardwood Rocket, Brown, Bubba Whitener and Mark Whitener.

Thomas drove by Nipper for second on the restart and Crane passed Nipper for third on lap nine. The field was slowed again on lap 11 when Bubba Whitener stalled on the front straightaway. The top ten for the restart was Herrington, Thomas, Crane, Nipper, Mathews, Martin, Hanger, Brown, Baker, and Chester.

Herrington tried to pull away from Thomas, but his progress was slowed when he caught the cars on the tail end of the lead lap on lap 19. Thomas was able to close to the back bumper of Herrington and was putting on the pressure when the caution flag came out on lap 26 when T.J. Brittain of Centre, AL stalled the Brittain Hauling Warrior on the front stretch on lap 26.

The restart at the halfway point of the race saw Herrington leading Thomas, Crane, Nipper, Martin, Mathews, Chester, Brown, Trynt Lloyd of Jacksonville, FL in the C&S Trailers Special, and Mark Whitener. Troy Dixon of Dallas, GA spun the Granite Hauling and Grading Rocket in the backstretch on lap 27 to bring out the caution flag to set up another restart.

When the green flag came out, Crane sailed around the outside of Thomas to take over the second spot, while Mathews drove around Martin and Nipper to move up to fourth. By lap 30, Herrington had opened up a half straightaway lead on Crane. Herrington hit lapped traffic on lap 37, as Crane began to close in.

Jimmy Sharpe Jr. of Lyons, GA stalled the Certified Energy Special in turn four on lap 38 to bring out the caution flag. On the next restart, Thomas was able to reclaim the second spot with an outside move. The racing action was slowed again on lap 39 for a multi car pile-up in turn two. Herrington led Thomas, Crane, Mathews, Nipper, Martin, Brown, Mark Whitener, Lloyd, and Knowles down for the restart.

Crane slowed off the pace from the third spot on the restart and came to a stop on the backstretch on lap 40 to bring out the final caution flag. Nipper was on the move when the green flag came out as he got by Mathews for third and brought Martin with him into fourth. That earned Nipper the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award.

Herrington convincingly held the lead for the remaining 11 laps and cruised home to his fourth win of the season. The next two races for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series will be at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL on October 2 and 3 during NASCAR Weekend.

The Friday night, October 2 race will run for 40 laps and pay $2,000-to-win. The Saturday night, October 3 event will pay $2,500-to-win and run for 50 laps. The two Talladega Short Track races will be Rounds 12 and 13 of the 2020 season.

The economical Aluminum Head, Steel Block, Chevrolet Performance 604 Circle Track Engine is the engine of choice for the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series competitors. The Chevrolet Performance 604 Engine is in stock and available for free next day delivery from Newsome Raceway Parts in Hartsville, SC.

Newsome Raceway Parts gives a portion of the sales from each Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine sold back to the Crate Racin’ USA Point Funds in four different Divisions. Each economical Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine is built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications. To place an order call 1-877-497-3624.

For more information and rules about the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.crateracinusa.com, or visit the series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CrateRacinUSA/. You can follow us on Twitter @CrateRacinUSALM, and at Instagram at crateracinusa.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 11 AT NEEDMORE SPEEDWAY IN NORMAN PARK, GA ON 9/26/2020:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS
1. 1 14 Wil Herrington Hawkinsville, GA 50
2. 3 1n Jordy Nipper Macon, GA 50
3. 5 6jr Parker Martin (R/YG) Milledgeville, GA 50
4. 8 33 Jeff Mathews Brandon, FL 50
5. 13 5w Mark Whitener Middleburg, FL 50
6. 7 00 Russell Brown Valdosta, GA 50
7. 24 03 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA 50
8. 9 9 Ches Chester Twin City, GA 50
9. 15 21 Corey Dunn (R) Milledgeville, GA 50
10. 14 14b John Baker Norman Park, GA 50
11. 23 05 T.J. Brittain Centre, AL 50
12. 25 39 Troy Dixon (R) Dallas, GA 49
13. 6 10c Ryan Crane Panama City, FL 43
14. 20 5 Johnny Collins Hillard, FL 39
15. 18 2 Trynt Lloyd (R/YG) Jacksonville, FL 38
16. 17 87 Jake Rainey (YG) Hiram, GA 38
17. 21 26 Bubba Pollard Senoia, GA 38
18. 16 3 Cody Smith Baker, FL 38
19. 19 26s Jimmy Sharpe Jr. Lyons, GA 36
20. 22 50 David Markham Live Oak, FL 20
21. 10 29 Christian Hanger Winchester, TN 19
22. 12 6 Dalton Hood Vidalia, GA 16
23. 11 5b Bubba Whitener Middleburg, FL 10
24. 2 97 Cody Overton (R) Evans, GA 3
25. 4 22 Jimmy Thomas Phenix City, AL 50 DQ/LT

ENTRIES: 33
BOYD BUILT FABRICATORS/SCORPION RACE CARS/IHEART RADIO FAST QUALIFIER: Overton, 15.265 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Brittain and Knowles
EMERGENCY PROVISIONAL: Dixon
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: Herrington, 1-50
KNOWLES RACE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Knowles (started 24th and finished 7th)
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Nipper
FULLMOON GRAPHICS LUCKY 7 AWARD: Knowles
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Martin
KRC POWER STEERING B-MAIN RACE WINNERS: B. Whitener and Hood
CAUTIONS: 8
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 2.291 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 53 Minutes and 45.854 Seconds
NEXT RACE: 9/2/2020, $2,000-To-Win, 40-laps, Talladega Short Track, Eastaboga, AL