J-Mac Hangs On For Whynot NeSmith Late Model Win

MERIDIAN, MS – Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL overcame brake issues to capture a close win Saturday night in the Salute To The Navy 40 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division at Whynot Motorsports Park in the High Roller Race Cars Special. McRee also set himself up to set a new record in the series career win category.

If McRee can win another NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series race this season, he would become the first driver in series history to post multiple wins for four straight seasons. Saturday night’s win for McRee was his 12th NeSmith Late Model career win to move him into a three-way tie for second on the all-time win list with David Earl Gentry and William Thomas.

McRee seemed to lose the lead on lap 35 when Mike Boland of Cuba, AL driving the Boland Performance Trak-Star, got underneath him in turn two, and then McRee spun. But as the lead was being exchanged, Randy Boyd of Marion, MS stalled the Coca-Cola of Meridian Trak-Star on the high side of turn two and was ticketed with the caution flag.

Officials put McRee back in the lead for the restart, and Boland in second. McRee pulled away from Boland on the restart, and seemed to have the race in the bag, but he suddenly slowed in turn four, as Boland had a full head of steam coming off the corner. McRee took the win by just a matter of inches, while Boland had to settle for second-place.

“I knew we had a good race car tonight, as we went back to our 2012 set-ups and the car came to life once again,” McRee said. “We’ve given some races away here in the past, and I thought we were going to do it again tonight on a couple of occasions. We were having some brake issues that was really bogging down the engine coming off the corners.”

Fast Qualifier and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion Jim McDuffie of Meridian, MS finished third in the Checkerboard Restaurant Trak-Star, and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS was fourth in the Bryson Motorsports/Cooley Transportation Special.

The 2012 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Chase Washington of Houlka, MS started 21st in the Montgomery Farms Special and finished fifth to earn the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race Award. Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS took the sixth spot in the Ellis Welding Special.

Two-time and defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN stayed on top of the point standings with a seventh-place finish in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special. Johnson now holds a 66-point lead over Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL. Edge finished 24th and last in the race driving a car he borrowed from Cody Martin after damaging his primary car in a B-Main race.

Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS finished eighth in the Lamar Auto Salvage Special that also honored the memory of fallen Hattiesburg Police Department Officers Deen and Tate, who lost their lives in the line of duty last week.

Tim Dees of Meridian, MS was ninth in the Dees Motorsports Trak-Star and Ryan King of Seymour, TN rounded out the Top 10 driving the Brian King Roofing Stinger and was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race.

In preliminary action, McDuffie out-qualified the 32-car field with a lap around Whynot Motorsports Park in 13.152 seconds. The two 12-lap B-Main Races were won by Chris O’Connor of Cantonment, FL in the Advanced Construction and Development Special, and Dees.

McDuffie took the lead at the drop of the Green Flag of Night 1 of the Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals followed by Boyd, McRee, Casey Haney of Meridian, MS in the Davidson Hauling Special and Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS in the Custom Spraying Inc. Special. On lap three, Haney pulled out of the race and McRee passed Boyd for the second spot.

McRee dusted off the top shelf of Whynot Motorsports Park and stepped to the outside to battle with the inside running McDuffie side-by-side for the lead by lap 11. Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN brought out the first of two caution flags on lap 16 when he spun the Rebel Diesel Rocket down the front straightaway.

The top ten runners for the Dixie Style Double-File restart had McDuffie leading, with McRee, Boyd, Barrett, Ellis, Mike Boland, Blount, Doug Sanchagrin of Florence, MS in the Permanent Exterior Solutions Special, King and Jamey Boland of Cuba, AL in the Boland Performance Trak-Star doubled up behind the leader.

After running successfully on the outside prior to the caution flag, McRee surprised many by choosing inside for the restart. But then again, maybe McRee knew what was coming! And it came quickly, as Mike Boland dove for his customary Whynot Motorsports Park groove right on the bottom of the track and went from sixth to fourth by the time the field reached turn two!

With Boland on his way to the front of the pack taking the short way around, McRee knew it was go time! McRee reeled in McDuffie on lap 23, got a run on him going down the backstretch, and took the lead in turn three. Boland in the meantime, had moved up to third, then made quick work of McDuffie for second on lap 24 and set his sights on McRee.

McRee began to encounter lapped traffic by lap 27 and Boland began to close the gap to make a serious challenge for the lead. Boland charged inside McRee going into turn one on lap 35 and drove under McRee coming off the second turn. McRee’s brake issue caused his car to turn left and he did a quick spin.

While all of that action of going on at the bottom of the track, Boyd stalled on the high side of turn two to bring out the caution flag, just as McRee started his spun.. Boyd was ticketed with the caution flag, which put McRee back in the lead for the restart, and Boland in second, as the running reverts back to the last completed lap before the caution came out.

McRee began to pull away from Boland when the green flag came out for the six lap dash to the finish., McRee took a four car-length advantage down the back stretch on the final lap, but he began to slow dramatically in turn four, with Boland closing fast in the bottom groove of the race track. Boland pulled alongside McRee at the flagstand, but it was McRee with a .064 second margin of victory.

Night two of the 4th Annual Salute To The Armed Forces Nationals for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be the $2,000-to-win Salute To The Air Force 40 on Sunday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS. Racing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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.