Herrington Wins At The Mag To Clinch Newsome Raceway Parts CRUSA Title

COLUMBUS, MS – Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, GA not only picked up his fifth Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series win of the season on Friday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway driving the 5m Construction Rocket, but he also clinched the $10,000 2020 National Championship.

Herrington’s win combined with a 17th-place finish for Corey Dunn of Milledgeville, GA gave Herrington a 200-point lead in the National point standings. If Herrington could not run the last two races of the 2020 season, and Dunn earned 200 points with a pair of wins, Herrington would win the tiebreaker with five wins to three wins for Dunn in that scenario.

“We have had a great season with this being our 17th win with five in this series, and this is also my fourth race here, and we’ve won all four races,” Herrington said. “We’ll be back here again tomorrow night and try to stay perfect. We haven’t worried much about the points and have been racing for wins, which will make the points take care of themselves. We have been blessed this year.”

Dunn will be busy trying to hold off T.J. Brittain of Centre, AL and Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA for the second spot in the Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series standings. Just 44 points separate the three drivers. Dunn has clinched the 2020 Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year Award for the series and was also the Rookie of the Race.

Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS made a late-race charge to finish second in the Ellis Specialty Welding Rocket and Randall Beckwith of Kilmichael, MS took the third spot in the Beckwith Forestry Service Rocket.

Cliff Ross of Florence, MS drove the Ross Racing Special to a fourth-place finish and Cameron Weaver of Crossville, TN was fifth in the Weaver Racing CVR and led seven laps. Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL took the sixth spot in the Bud Coley Trucking Special and Oakley Johns of Hohenwald, TN finished seventh in the Shoals Box and Pallet Special.

Matthew Brocato of Muscle Shoals, AL started 16th in the Valley Metal Fabricators Special and finished eighth to earn the Knowles Race Parts and Bodies Hard Charger of the Race Award. Buddy George of Ragland, AL was ninth in the TCB Extreme Enterprises Special, and Knowles rounded out the top ten in the Clayton Signs/Gentry’s Used Auto Parts Stinger.

In preliminary action, Herrington was the Boyd Built Fabricators/Ace Portable Buildings Fast Qualifier among the 30 entrants with a lap around The Mag in 14.297 seconds. The two ten-lap KRC Power Steering B-Main Races were won by Jamie Pickard of Columbus, MS in the Academy Fence Company Special and Johns.

Herrington took the lead at the start of the 40-lap contest from the pole position followed by Tyler Wood of Hohenwald, TN in the Johns Farms Special, Weaver, Beckwith, and Dunn. The first of two caution flags came out on lap four Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL hit the front straightaway wall in the High Roller Race Cars Special and collected Pickard.

The Dixie-Style Double-File Restart saw Herrington in the lead with Weaver, Beckwith, Wood, Dunn, Ellis, Ross, Shaw, Josh Huss of Flomaton, AL in the Griffin Automotive Special and Knowles doubled up behind him. Weaver was able to stay with Herrington to challenge for the lead after the restart and take the lead with an inside move on lap eight.

Weaver led Herrington into heavy lapped traffic on lap ten. Herrington stepped to the top groove of Magnolia Motor Speedway, and when Weaver got caught behind a lapped car on lap 15 in turn three, Herrington sailed around the outside on the top shelf to retake the lead. Herrington began to put lapped cars between himself and Weaver, but the lapped cars went away on lap 19.

Dunn stalled out of the fifth spot on the front straightaway to bring out the caution flag. Herrington had Weaver, Beckwith, Ellis, Ross, Wood, Shaw, Huss, Knowles, and Jason Markewitz of Killen, AL in the Rock Hard Wheel Covers Special doubled up behind him for the restart.

When the field went back to green flag action, Herrington pulled away from Weaver, and Ellis dove under Beckwith to take over the third spot. By lap 22, Herrington had a half straightaway lead over Weaver. Wood fell out of the race while running sixth on lap 23, and Huss gave up a top ten spot when he left the race on lap 27.

Ellis found Herrington’s expressway on the top shelf of the track by lap 30 and got by a fading Weaver for the second spot on lap 35. That earned Ellis the VP Racing Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award. But there was no catching Herrington, who cleared lapped traffic in the closing laps of the race, and he took a 4.578 margin of victory under the checkered flag.

The Newsome Raceway Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series will return to Magnolia Motor Speedway on Saturday night for Round 16 of the 2020 season for a $3,000-to-win 50-lap race.

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 15 AT MAGNOLIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN COLUMBUS, MS ON 11/6/2020:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 14 Wil Herrington Hawkinsville, GA 40 $2,000
2. 9 73 Evan Ellis Plantersville, MS 40 $1,000
3. 3 84 Randall Beckwith Kilmichael, MS 40 $700
4. 4 C20 Cliff Ross Florence, MS 40 $550
5. 5 16 Cameron Weaver Crossville, TN 40 $425
6. 8 1s Jeremy Shaw Millport, AL 40 $375
7. 12 C6 Oakley Johns Hohenwald, TN 39 $350
8. 16 78 Matthew Brocato Muscle Shoals, AL 39 $325
9. 17 29 Buddy George Ragland, AL 39 $300
10. 15 66 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA 39 $275
11. 18 91 Jason Markewitz Killen, AL 39 $250
12. 19 8h Wayne Harbin Whitesburg, GA 38 $225
13. 20 05 T.J. Brittain Centre, AL 38 $200
14. 13 25 Josh Huss Flomaton, AL 27 $200
15. 2 17jr Tyler Wood Hohenwald, TN 23 $200
16. 14 44 Tim Dees Meridian, MS 19 $200
17. 7 21 Corey Dunn (R) Milledgeville, GA 18 $200
18. 21 8 Grant Pearl Anniston, AL 10 $200
19. 24 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 9 $200
20. 23 39 Troy Dixon (R) Dallas, GA 9 $200
21. 22 C66 Donald Johns Summertown, TN 8 $200
22. 6 11 Joey Mullenix Elrod, AL 5 $200
23. 10 25 Justin McRee Woodstock, AL 3 $200
24. 11 21p Jamie Pickard Columbus, MS 3 $200

ENTRIES: 30
BOYD BUILT FABRICATORS/ACE PORTABLE BUILDINGS FAST QUALIFIER: Herrington, 14.297 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Dixon and Minga
LEAD CHANGES: 2
LAP LEADERS: Herrington, 1-7; Weaver, 8-14; Herrington, 15-40
LAPS LED: Herrington, 33; Weaver, 7
KNOWLES RACE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Brocato (started 16th and finished 8th)
VP RACING LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Ellis
FULLMOON GRAPHICS LUCKY 7 AWARD: O. Johns
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Dunn
KRC POWER STEERING B-MAIN WINNERS: Pickard and O. Johns
CAUTIONS: 2
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 4.578 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 20 Minutes and 17.432 Seconds
NEXT RACE: November 7th, Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, MS, $3,000-To-Win, 50-Laps