A Look Back At The NeSmith Late Models - 2008

CARTERSVILLE, GA – The year was 2008. It was a year of change for America’s Leader In Affordable Dirt Late Model Racing. The growing series that started out as a vision of Mike Vaughn three years earlier had a new Title Sponsor for 2008 from NeSmith Chevrolet Buick GMC in Claxton, GA.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and Weekly Racing Series was a natural fit for the dealership. They had been a part of the series in previous seasons as the Hard Charger Award sponsor, but as the series grew, so did NeSmith Chevrolet Buick GMC. They had become the Nation’s Number One GM Powertrain and Performance Parts dealer.

Much of their Performance Parts sales had come from the Chevrolet Performance 604 and 60s Circle Track Engines that powered the dirt late models in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Like Vaughn did two years before, NeSmith Chevrolet went all in with the factory built racing engines sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications.

NeSmith Chevrolet built a large warehouse behind their dealership and stocked it full of Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engines. They offered the racers the lowest price in the country on these engines and free next-day delivery anywhere in the Southeast.

The nay-sayers of the series were still around, but they were less in numbers. The word on the street was that competitors and their engine builders were finding ways around the sealing system of the engines and finding an unfair advantage. With a new title sponsor in place, Vaughn made an addition to his staff in an effort to quiet such talk.

Vaughn hired Tim Sims to assume the position of NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Technical Director. Sims would be in charge of the series’ growing network of Authorized Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine Rebuilders, and the database of engine records. Vaughn and Sims would also develop a new sealing system for the Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engines to make it more difficult to get inside the engine undetected.

Sims would also travel during the off weeks from the Touring Series to Weekly Racing Series tracks making random unannounced surprise visits to check the legality of weekly competitors’ engines in an effort to keep a level playing field.

The third big change that came about during the 2008 season and was a new group of young drivers that were beginning to take advantage of the economical opportunity to get involved in dirt late model racing. They were beginning to advance from the Weekly Racing Series and into the Touring Division.

Second-generation driver Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA kept up the momentum he gained in winning the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award and won the $20,000 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Championship. Veteran Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL finished second in the points.

Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL would finish third in the 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings and was the Rookie of the Year. Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA would finish fourth and Chris Tays of Corinth, MS was fifth. Sixth through tenth respectively were Hunter Pea(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) of Macon, GA, Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS, Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA, Jason Hiett of Lincoln, AL and Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA.

Weather shortened the 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season to 16 races in five different states. but there were 14 different winners. National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN picked up two wins in 2008 and became the only driver to post wins in each of the first four season of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.

William Thomas of Phenix City, AL also had a pair of 2008 victories and single victories were turned in by Boutwell, Rainey, Pea(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word), Ingram, Mike Boland of Cuba, AL, Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL, Jay Blair of Angie, LA, Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL, Royce Bray of Hull, GA and two-time Weekly Racing Series Champion Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series featured 13 different tracks in five different states from Indiana to Louisiana. Jim McDuffie of Meridian, MS would make a late season charge to win the 2008 West Region Championship and second-generation driver Adam Martin of Talladega, AL would win the East Region Championship.

The season finale for the fourth straight year would be the $10,000-to-win NeSmith Chevrolet World Championship Race at East Bay Raceway in Tampa, FL on December 13, 2008. The 100-lap event had established itself as the premier race for dirt late models powered by the Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engines.

As in the four previous editions, the World Championship Race would feature several of the top super late model competitors taking on the best Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engine late model drivers in the country among the 63 entrants. In the first three races, super late model pilots Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN with two wins and Randy Korte of Highland, IL would have bragging rights.

Korte was back looking for his second World Championship Race win, and he was joined by Tim McCreadie of Watertown, NY, Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, IL, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA, Rodney Melvin of Benton, IL, and Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV looking for the $10,000 top prize.

Melvin would set fast time, earned pole position for the century grind by winning the first Heat Race, and took the early lead in the race, with NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series veteran Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, TN in hot pursuit. Melvin was looking to make if a clean sweep of the 4th Annual World Championship Race, but Buckingham had other ideas.

On lap 45, Buckingham got to the inside of Melvin coming off the second turn and the lead duo raced side-by-side down the backstretch. Buckingham had the preferred line going into turn three, and was able to grab the lead coming off the fourth turn.

When the green flag came out for a lap 50 restart, Stacy Roberts of Sylvester, GA got into the back of Buckingham in turn one and the leader spun. With his car sitting backwards in the middle of the race track, the entire field went to both his inside and outside, and somehow missed Buckingham without making any contact.

Officials charged Roberts with the caution flag, sent him to the back of the pack, and reinstated Buckingham on the point. Buckingham would set sail in a new car built and set up by Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame driver Scott Bloomquist, and lead the rest of the way for the biggest win of his young career.

“Other than being spun out on that restart, everything went well tonight, and this is the first $10,000-to-win race I’ve ever won,” Buckingham said. “Melvin was faster than I was at the start of the race, but Scott (Bloomquist) told me before the race that as the track took more rubber, our car would get faster.”

Buckingham had some fast company behind him at the checkered flag with Melvin taking second, Erb finished third, McCreadie was fourth, and local favorite Josh Pea(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) of Dover, FL took the fifth spot. Sixth through tenth respectively were Phillip Cobb of Riverview, FL, Anthony White of Clinton, TN, Bryan Bernhardt of Clearwater, FL, Boutwell and Jeff Mathews of Seffner, FL.

The other five Heat Races were won by Roberts, Buckingham, White, Korte and Cobb. The two B-Main Races were won by Shan Smith of Dade City, FL and Billy Foust of Highland, IL.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 12/12-13/08:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 3 50 Shannon Buckingham Morristown, TN 100 $10,000
2. 1 27 Rodney Melvin Benton, IL 100 $5,000
3. 10 28 Dennis Erb Jr. Carpentersville, IL 100 $3,000
4. 13 102 Tim McCreadie Waterloo, NY 100 $2,000
5. 8 21 Josh Pea(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) Dover, FL 100 $1,750
6. 6 32 Phillip Cobb Riverview, FL 100 $1,500
7. 4 2 Anthony White Clinton, TN 100 $1,300
8. 14 B69 Bryan Bernhardt Clearwater, FL 99 $1,200
9. 9 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 99 $1,100
10. 17 9 Jeff Mathews Seffner, FL 99 $1,000
11. 15 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 98 $800
12. 26 66k Scott Knowles Lanett, AL 97 $700
13. 18 P1 Wallace Pea(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) Dover, FL 97 $600
14. 11 11g David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 95 $500
15. 12 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 80 $450
16. 2 11 Stacey Roberts Sylvester, GA 80 $440
17. 19 17ss Shan Smith Dade City, FL 78 $430
18. 7 87 Ross Bailes Blacksburg, SC 77 $420
19. 5 69 Randy Korte Highland, IL 72 $400
20. 22 21b Royce Bray Hull, GA 69 $400
21. 21 1g Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 55 $400
22. 16 27f Jeff Fortner Vidalia, GA 55 $400
23. 20 92 Billy Faust Highland, IL 47 $400
24. 24 81c Kevin Cole Benton, IL 35 $400
25. 23 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA 16 $400
26. 25 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 16 $400

ENTRIES: 63
FAST QUALIFIER: Melvin, 16.079 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Brindle and Knowles
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Melvin, 1-44; Buckingham, 45-100
LAPS LED: Buckingham, 56; Melvin, 44
HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Knowles (started 26th and finished 12th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Turner
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Pea(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Bernhardt
MAXIMUM SIGNS 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Boutwell
OLD 29 GOLF CARTS 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Mathews
CAUTIONS: 7
TIME OF THE RACE: 56 Minutes and 50.239 Seconds