Ahnna Parkhurst Pursues NeSmith DLMS 2017 Rookie of the Year Title

Sixteen-year-old Ahnna Parkhurst will be making a run for the NeSmith Dirt Late Model Touring Series Cruise with the Champions Rookie of the Year title in 2017. “We are all very excited to be running the NeSmith Series this year. It’s a great series that is competitive and fair and will give me the opportunity to improve while traveling to a wide variety of tracks,” Ahnna said while explaining her plans for the 2017 racing season.

This year will be Parkhurst’s second full season in a dirt late model, as last season she had a remarkable year with twenty-four top 10s, five top 5s and three top 3s. Ahnna also finished eighth in the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge which puts the drivers eighteen years old and younger involved with the Nesmith Dirt Late Model Racing Series against each other for their own points fund and Championship.

Ahnna’s 2017 run for rookie of the year will come with the help of long-time dirt late model crew chief Shane McDowell of Shane McDowell Racing. The two have been long term partners throughout three years of her four-year racing career and this season they hope to further improve their success. McDowell has been a mentor for Ahnna during her previous years on asphalt as well as in a go-kart. However, the 23 team has recently focused solely on Ahnna’s improvement in a dirt late model. Their hard work was shown recently in the 26th Annual Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track. While leading a heat race in her Warrior by McDowell Nesmith Dirt Late Model Car mechanical issues dropped her from contention.

However, the Evans, GA driver was able to overcome the hardships in her NeSmith Dirt Late Model powered by a Chevrolet Performance 604 engine and finish strong in the new NeSmith Late Model Sportsman Division. Her first race of the new year started with a win in her heat race which led to a third place finish in her Warrior by McDowell in the NeSmith Late Model Sportsman Division during Sunday’s feature at the Ice Bowl.

Ahnna plans to be at East Alabama Motor Speedway for the Groundhog Classic gearing up for the season opener with the NeSmith Dirt Late Model Touring Series on the weekend of April 7th and 8th at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS for the Rumble on the Gumbo Double Header.

To keep up with Ahnna and her team during the 2017 season please follow her on Facebook at @AhnnaParkhurstRacing and on Twitter @ahnnaparkhurst.

For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series website at www.nesmithracing.com. You can also follow the series by Liking the Facebook page at NeSmith Racing; following on Twitter @NeSmithRacing; and Instagram @nesmithracing

NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is the Official Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Chevrolet Performance is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.

Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire of the NeSmith Dirt Late Model Series. Sunoco Race Fuels is the Official Race Fuel of the Series. Cruise with the Champions is the Official Vacation and Rookie of the Year Sponsor for the Series.

RockAuto.com is an Associate Sponsor of the Series and Official Sponsor of the RockAuto.com Winter Shootout Series. David Smith Carburetors is the Official Carburetor of NeSmith Racing.

Contingency Sponsors Include: Out-Pace Performance, AR Bodies, Crate Insider.com, Gresham Racing Parts, Knowles Racing Parts and Bodies, and FreeStyle Graphix.

Chassis Sponsors are Trak-Star Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, and CVR Race Cars.