PHENIX CITY, AL - Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL drove the Thomason Motorsports Rocket to his first career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series victory Saturday night in front of his hometown fans at his home track East Alabama Motor Speedway. Dudley defended his home turf, and he had some familiar company right behind him in second and third.

Local favorite Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL finished second in the Nowell Truck Repair Warrior, and Chase Edge of nearby LaFayette, AL took the third spot in the Edge’s Gas Company Special.

“This is big for us to win our first NeSmith race in our hometown in front of friends and family at our home track,” Dudley said. “I was nervous leading the race because I would look up at the scoreboard under cautions knowing that there were two local guys behind me that know this track as well as I do.”

Nowell reported after the race that he lost his brakes on lap 13, and was just trying to hang on and finish second. He said if he had tried to challenge Dudley and make a move for the lead without brakes, it could have had disastrous results for both of them.

Ryan King of Seymour, TN was trying to win his third straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring race, but came up three spots short, and finished fourth in the Brian King Roofing Stinger. King was also the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race. Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL claimed the fifth spot in the Panama City Cycles Rocket.

Ronnie Cooper of McKenzie, TN passed more cars in his Ronnie Cooper Trucking Special than any other driver in the race. Cooper sailed off the third turn on lap 35, but came back in the last 15 laps of the race to finish sixth. After starting the race in the 17th spot on the grid, Cooper was appropriately named the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race.

Chris Wilson of Crossville, TN finished seventh in the Dale’s Auto Sales Rocket and Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN took the eighth spot in the #H2 Duayne Hommel Tribute Car, the Rebel Diesel Rocket.

The point leader and the defending and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN finished ninth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special. The youngest driver in the race, 13-year-old Will Roland of Jasper, GA rounded out the top ten in the Roland Tire Warrior and was the Sunoco Young Gun of the Race.

Dudley turned in a “Clean Sweep” of the event, as he started off the evening with the Fast Qualifier Award after turning East Alabama Motor Speedway in 16.050 seconds to earn the pole position for the 50-lap main event.

Dudley took the lead at the start of the race followed by Nowell, Edge, Shep Lucas of McKenzie, AL in the Lucas Farms Special, and Wilson. Dudley reached the cars on the tail end of the lead lap by the tenth tour, but he didn’t have to stay in traffic long, as the first of six Caution flags came out on lap12 for debris on the track.

Lucas passed Edge for the third spot on the Dixie-Style Double-File restart, but Edge came roaring right back around Lucas to reclaim the third spot on lap 13 with an inside move in turn three. King made his first appearance of the race in the top five on lap 13 when he worked his way around Wilson.

Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS stalled the Lamar Auto Salvage on the front straightaway on lap 22. Dudley led the field to the restart with Nowell, Edge, Lucas, King, Wilson, Cody Martin of Christiana, TN in the Martin Motorsports Warrior, Cooper, Cody Smith of Holt, FL in the Smith’s Performance Rocket, and Dylan Knowles of Lanett, AL in the LSK Enterprises Rocket doubled up behind him.

King stepped to the outside and drove around Lucas in turn two to take the fourth spot on lap 25. Dudley once again encountered lapped traffic on lap 33, but the caution flag was once again his friend on lap 35 when Cooper sailed off the high side of turn three and into the darkness to light up the yellow bulb for the third time.

Dudley kept Nowell, Edge, and King behind him after the restart, as the top four cars began to pull away from Lucas in the fifth spot. Martin spun in turn two on lap 43 while running ninth to bring out the fourth caution flag. It was a single-file restart within ten laps to go, as Dudley led Nowell, Edge, King, Lucas, Wilson, Crane, Smith, Henderson and Cooper.

When the field went back to green, Henderson went to the top shelf of the track and began moving forward in the field. On lap 46, Henderson came off the fourth turn on the high side and pulled alongside Lucas to challenge for fifth. The two cars got locked together on the front stretch, and came to a grinding halt in turn one.

Dudley was once again up to the challenge of a restart on lap 46, but he would have to do it one more time, as the final caution flag of the race came out on lap 48 when Brandon Hood of Fort Deposit, AL stalled the D&K Precast Trak-Star in turn two. When the field took the white flag, Smith sailed off the first turn, but the cars still on the track raced back to the checkered flag.

Dudley took the win with a .555 second margin of victory over Nowell, and there were 15 cars on the lead lap with 18 cars still running at the end of the race. The next race for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be a 60-lap $10,000-to-win race at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, GA on August 21-22.

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.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 15 AT EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN PHENIX CITY, AL ON 8/8/15:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 55 Montana Dudley Phenix City, AL 50 $2,500
2. 3 55n Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL 50 $1,250
3. 5 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 50 $975
4. 7 30 Ryan King (R) Seymour, TN 50 $825
5. 12 10 Ryan Crane (R) Panama City, FL 50 $775
6. 17 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN 50 $550
7. 4 10w Chris Wilson Crossville, TN 50 $500
8. 19 H2 Matt Henderson (R) Loudon, TN 50 $575
9. 10 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $525
10. 14 22 Will Roland (Y) Jasper, GA 50 $375
11. 13 54 Richie Beasley Terry, MS 50 $350
12. 16 14 Will Herrington Cochran, GA 50 $300
13. 8 66d Dylan Knowles Lanett, AL 50 $280
14. 6 21m Cody Martin (R) Christiana, TN 50 $385
15. 21 6 Brandon Hood Fort Deposit, AL 50 $250
16. 9 3 Cody Smith Holt, FL 49 $240
17. 18 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 49 $345
18. 11 5d Rodgerick Dykes Smith Station, AL 49 $200
19. 20 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 47 $200
20. 2 57 Shep Lucas McKenzie, AL 46 $200
21. 15 21n Joe Noojin Boaz, AL 30 $200

ENTRIES: 30
FAST QUALIFIER: Dudley, 16.050 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Dudley, 1-50
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: King
SUNOCO YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Roland
BEYEA HEADERS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Cooper (started 17th and finished 6th)
INTEGRA SHOCKS FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Crane
CRATE INSIDER.COM SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Cooper
GRESHAM RACE PARTS SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: Wilson
IMAGE SCREEN PRINTING NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Johnson
AR BODIES TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Roland
CAUTIONS: 6
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .555 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 37 Minutes and 41.520 Seconds
NEXT RACE: August 21-22, Golden Isles Speedway, Brunswick, GA, 60-laps, $10,000-to-win

QUALIFYING:

POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 55 Montana Dudley Phenix City, AL Rocket 16.207 16.050 16.050
2 57 Shep Lucas McKenzie, AL Barry Wright 16.082 16.122 16.082
3 55 Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL Warrior 16.614 16.134 16.134
4 10w Chris Wilson Crossville, TN Rocket 16.250 16.136 16.136
5 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 16.358 16.261 16.261
6 21m Cody Martin - R Christiana, TN Warrior 16.521 16.339 16.339
7 30 Ryan King - R Seymour, TN Stinger 16.517 16.358 16.358
8 66d Dylan Knowles Lanett, AL Rocket 16.477 16.395 16.395
9 3 Cody Smith Holt, FL Rocket 16.478 16.401 16.401
10 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt 16.589 16.539 16.539
11 5d Rodgerick Dykes Smith Station, AL Warrior 16.618 16.540 16.540
12 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN Black Diamond 16.687 16.611 16.611
13 54 Richie Beasley Terry, MS Rocket 16.819 16.652 16.652
14 22 Will Roland - Y Jasper, GA Warrior 17.214 16.652 16.652
15 21n Joe Noojin Boaz, AL GRT 16.821 16.671 16.671
16 14 Will Herrington Cochran, GA Warrior 16.973 16.754 16.754
17 10 Ryan Crane - R Panama City, FL Rocket 17.006 16.774 16.774
18 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 16.881 16.818 16.818
19 H2 Matt Henderson - R Loudon, TN Rocket 55.568 16.823 16.823
20 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS HRRC 17.086 17.568 17.086
21 6 Brandon Hood Fort Deposit, AL Trak-Star 17.266 18.263 17.266
22 33b Eric Cooley Fulton, MS Barry Wright NT NT NT
23 1r Riley Hickman Cleveland, TN CVR NT NT NT
24 17 Adam Gauldin Talladega, AL GRT NT NT NT
25 11 Cruz Skinner - Y Oxford, AL CVR NT NT NT
26 18d Cord Dodgen LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt NT NT NT
27 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA Scorpion NT NT NT
28 101 Forrest Trent Talbott, TN Rocket NT NT NT
29 25 Hunter Carter Blackshear, GA Mastersbilt NT NT NT
30 22 Jimmy Thomas Phenix City, AL Scorpion NT NT NT

R – Denotes Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year Candidate

Y – Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series Candidate