CARTERSVILLE, GA - Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS has clinched the $10,000 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Championship. Arnold drove The Strength Center Special to his 17th 50-point win of the season on Saturday night at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS to seal the deal. None of Arnold’s challengers for the title going into Week 22 action posted a win.

With five weeks left in the season, and no eligible tracks requesting Double Features for NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 23 competition, that leaves nine chances for three drivers that currently have six 50-point wins an opportunity to post additional victories.

Even if Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL, Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, MS, and/or Kevin Sitton of Baytown, TX win out, and post 15 wins on the season, they cannot surpass Arnold’s win total in what would be the tie-breaker. Also, with five weeks left in the season, Arnold may be looking to break some more NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series records.

Arnold set a new NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series record in Week 21 competition with his 16th win of the season, and extended that to 17 with his $1,000 victory on Saturday night at Whynot Motorsports Park. Arnold’s 17th win also gave him a “perfect” point total of 700 points, and become the third straight National Champion to reach that status. After 29 races, Arnold has 17 wins, 21 top five finishes, and 24 top ten finishes.

The 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Noah Daspit of Kiln, MS and last year’s National Champion Chris Holley of Dayton, TX also has perfect 14 totals of 700 points. Arnold has tied the Holley in clinching the title the earliest in the27-week season at Week 22.

There are two NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season records that Arnold can break in the five remaining weeks of the season. Arnold is currently on a winning streak of six straight victories. Holley holds the record with seven consecutive wins set last season. Arnold would have to win in his next two races to set a new record.

While Holley won all 15 of his NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series races in route to last year’s National Championship at a single race track, Arnold has taken a page out of Chase Washington’s book when the Houlka, MS driver collected wins at six different race tracks on his way to the 2012 National Championship.

So far this season, Arnold has also recorded his 17 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series wins at six different race tracks. Arnold’s home track, Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS, is where Arnold has nine wins. Arnold has also hit the road for eight more wins, and by doing so, took on his closest challengers for the championship on a head-to-head basis.

Arnold has three wins at Whynot Motorsports Park, two wins at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS, and one win apiece at St. Tammany Raceway in Lacombe, LA, Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, MS, and Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. With five weeks left in the season, Arnold has an opportunity to visit another NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series in search of a win at a seventh different track to set a new single-season record.

Even though Arnold has the 2015 $10,000 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Championship sewed up, there is still plenty of business to be decided among the nine other points fund-paying positions, and a seat at the Annual NeSmith Racing Awards Banquet in January at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and Thunder Road Museum in Dawsonville, GA.

The second biggest headline of the 2015 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season could involve 13-year-old Cruz Skinner, who is currently second in the standings with a best 14 week total of 689 points, 11 points away from a perfect season. In 18 races, Skinner has seven wins with six 50-point wins, 15 top five finishes and 17 top ten finishes driving the Skinner’s Body Shop CVR.

Skinner also leads the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series point standings for drivers 18 years of age and younger. There are currently two Sunoco Young Gun Challenge Series drivers in the Top 10 of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings, and a third driver just outside looking to get in.

The top three drivers in the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series competed against each other on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Skinner finished second, and 17-year-old Cole Daffron of Pell City, AL, who is second in the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series point standings and ninth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series points, finished fourth in the TSR Race Cars Warrior.

The youngest of the 318 different drivers that have competed in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series, 12-year-old Colton Horner of Katy, TX, traveled to Alabama on Saturday night and finished seventh in the Houston Specialty Products Company Special. Horner is currently 12th in the point standings, just 19 points outside of the tenth spot, and third in the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series points.

Another Texas driver, veteran Robbie Starnes of Livingston, TX is third in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 678 points after four wins, 15 top five finishes and 17 top ten finishes in 17 races. Starnes drove the Lonestar Hydro Maintenance to a third-place finish on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track.

Palasini is fourth in the standings with a best 14 week total of 675 points after six wins and 14 top five finishes in 18 races. Palasini finished 11th on Saturday night at Whynot Motorsports Park in the MP Trucking Special. Daspit did not compete in Week 22 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series action and he is fifth is the standings with a best 14 week total of 673 points after five wins, 12 top five finishes and 16 top ten finishes in 18 races driving the Billy Riels Racing Special.

Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS is sixth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 671 points after one win, 17 top five finishes and 19 top ten finishes in 20 races driving the Billy Riels Racing Special. Lee finished 13th on Saturday night at Whynot Motorsports Park.

Greg Fore of Greenville, MS captured his fourth NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series win the season on Saturday night at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS driving the Washington Body Shop GRT. Fore is seventh in the standings with a best 14 week total of 668 points after four wins, 11 top five finishes and 15 top ten finishes in 18 races.

Joseph Joiner of Milton, FL is eighth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 665 points after two wins, 15 top five finishes and 17 top ten finishes in 18 races driving the Three Trade Consultants Special. Joiner finished four on Saturday night at Whynot Motorsports Park. Daffron in ninth has a best week total of 654 points after 11 top five finishes and 14 top ten finishes in 15 races.

Bobby Jordan of McCarley, MS rounds out the Top 10 in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with a best 14 week total of 644 points after two wins, nine top five finishes and 13 top ten finishes in 22 races. Jordan drove the SMJ Race Parts Trak-Star to a third-place finish on Saturday night at Greenville Speedway.

In other NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 22 action, Chris Kratzer of Haysville, KS drove the Wichita Tire and Alignment Special to his third win of the season on Friday night at Salina Speedway in Salina, KS. Josh Adkins of Talladega, AL took his third straight win on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track driving the CRM Motors GRT.

There were two rainouts for Week 22 of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season. The Friday night Week 15 Make Up Race at Whynot Motorsports Park was rained out, and the Saturday night race at Battleground Race Park in Highlands, TX was also washed out.

Wins by Fore and Adkins has increased the leading win total to 16 for four-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Chassis Manufactures Challenge Champion GRT Race Cars of Greenbrier, AR. Three-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Chassis Champion Trak-Star Race Cars built by Boland Performance of Cuba, AL is second spot in the chassis points with 12 wins.

Rocket Chassis of Shinnston, WV is third with nine wins and CVR Race Cars of Lenoir City, TN is fourth with seven wins. Warrior Race Cars built by Goddard Performance of Knoxville, TN is still looking for their first win of the season.

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