A Look Back At The NeSmith Late Models - 2009

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CARTERSVILLE, GA – The year was 2009. A pair of Mississippi teenagers were making headlines at the end of the 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season. Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS won the National Championship. At the age of 18, Cooley became the youngest driver to date in the history of dirt late model racing to win a National Championship.

Ben McCreary of Baldwyn, MS was the 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rookie of the Year after the 19-year-old driver had a hard fought battle with another Mississippi teenager Chase Washington of Houlka, MS.

Veteran Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL finished second in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings for the second straight season. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA was third in the points chase and Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA took the fourth spot. McCreary finished fifth and Washington was sixth.

Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion David Earl Gentry of Lewisburg, TN finished seventh in the point standings and Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS took the eighth spot. Jay Blair of Angie, LA was ninth in the standings and Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA rounded out the Top 10.

There were 25 races on the 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series schedule of events with 16 different winners. National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN had four wins on the season and kept his streak alive of winning at least one race in each of the first five seasons of series competition.

Mike Boland of Cuba, AL had three wins on the season. Rainey, Justin McRee of Cottondale, AL, Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV and Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL each had two wins apiece during the 2009 NeSmith Late Model season.

Single wins during the 2009 NeSmith Late Model season were turned in by Cooley, Turner, Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, TN, Tom Maddox of Centre, AL, Brad Hall of Knoxville, TN, Tanner English of Benton, KY, Bub McCool of Vicksburg, MS, Todd Morrow of East Ridge, TN, and Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series featured 15 tracks in seven different states. Over 400 drivers competed in three Regions, and the Weekly Racing Series expanded north into the state of Michigan.

Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS took his third NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region title in the first four years of the series. Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL was the East Region Champion, and Rick Stout of Stanton, MI was the North Region Champion.

To top off the 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season, the top competitors from both the Touring Division and the Weekly Racing Series would travel to East Bay Raceway in Tampa, FL for the $10,000-to-win 5th Annual World Champion Race on December 12, 2009.

As had been the case from the first event in 2005, many of the top super late model drivers in the country would throw their hat in the ring for the big money in what had become the premier event in the country for dirt late models powered by Chevrolet Performance Circle Track Engines.

After two wins by Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN and a win by Randy Korte of Highland, IL, NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series regular Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, TN broke the string of winning super late model drivers with a 2008 win. Korte and Buckingham were back looking for their second World Championship Race Trophy.

Joining Korte as super late model invaders in 2009 were Steve Francis of Ashland, KY, Tim McCreadie of Watertown, NY, Rodney Melvin of Benton, IL, Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV, Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC, and Randy Weaver of Crossville, TN.

The local contingent of Central Florida drivers would provide tough competition as well in the 5th Annual World Championship Race led by Shan Smith of Dade City, FL. Smith set fast time honors among the 60 entrants and won the first Heat Race to earn the pole position for the 100 lap race.

Smith made it known early in the event that he was looking for a clean sweep, as he took the lead at the start of the race. But, there was a challenger emerging quickly from the 12th starting spot, as McCreadie was charging to the front of the pack. McCreadie would drive around Smith on lap 21 and lead the remaining 80 laps of the race to claim the $10,000 top prize.

Smith would have to settle for second with Mike Pegher Jr. of Wexford, PA taking the third spot. Francis finished fourth and Jeff Mathews of Dover, FL was fifth. Korte finished sixth and Johnson took the seventh spot. Melvin was eighth, Chris McElhenney of Lake, MS finished ninth and Horton would round out the Top 10.

Also winning Heat Races were Mathews, Johnson, Pegher, Stacy Roberts of Sylvester, GA, and Cooley. The three B-Main races were won by Weaver, Jason McBride of Carbondale, IL, and Greg Satterlee of Indiana, PA. Roger Wing of Middleton, MI won the Race Car Engineering Last Chance Race.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE 5TH ANNUAL NeSMITH CHEVROLET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA , FL ON 12/11-12/09:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 12 102 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY 100 $10,000
2. 1 17ss Shan Smith Dade City, FL 100 $5,000
3. 4 1c Mike Pegher Wexford, PA 100 $3,000
4. 9 12 Steve Francis Ashland, KY 100 $2,000
5. 2 33 Jeff Matthews Dover, FL 100 $1,750
6. 15 8 Randy Korte Highland, IL 100 $1,500
7. 3 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 100 $1,300
8. 16 59 Rodney Melvin Benton, IL 100 $1,200
9. 22 28 Chris McElhenney Lake, MS 100 $1,100
10. 8 11h Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV 100 $1,000
11. 7 77 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 100 $800
12. 14 B69 Bryan Bernhardt Clearwater, FL 100 $700
13. 24 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 100 $600
14. 13 2 Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC 100 $500
15. 17 00 Wayne Reutimann Jr. Zephyrhills, FL 100 $450
16. 18 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 100 $440
17. 23 92k Brant Kehrer New Memphis, IL 97 $430
18. 26 41 Travis Varnadore Dover, FL 97 $420
19. 5 11 Stacy Roberts Sylvester, GA 84 $400
20. 19 116 Randy Weaver Crossville, TN 79 $400
21. 27 50 Shanon Buckingham Morristown, TN 78 $400
22. 6 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 78 $400
23. 10 1 Rodney Wing Meridian, MS 45 $400
24. 25 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 43 $400
25. 28 59m Jason McBride Carbondale, IL 39 $400
26. 21 68 Greg Satterlee Indiana, PA 25 $400
27. 11 00h Josh Holtgraver Pittsburgh, PA 18 $400
28. 20 21 Josh Pea(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word) Dover, FL 16 $400
ENTRIES: 60
FAST QUALIFIER: Smith, 15.946 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Boutwell and Turner
CHAMPION’S PROVISIONAL: Buckingham
TRACK PROVISIONAL: Varnadore
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Smith, 1-20; McCreadie, 21-100
LAPS LED: McCreadie, 80; Smith, 20
CAUTIONS: 16
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .870 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 1 Hour, 31 Minutes, and 34.298 Seconds