OCALA, FL – Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL earned the pole position for Saturday night’s $10,000-to-win 100-lap 11th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Bubba Raceway Park. Bronson drove the Brandon Ford Rocket to Fast Time Honors and won the first 10-lap heat race in Friday night action.

Bronson, who finished second in the 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings and was the Rookie of the Year, won a spirited battle with second-generation driver Trent Ivey of Union, SC to win the first Heat Race and earn the pole position for the big show.

The pole sitter for Saturday night’s big show has momentum in his favor, as Bronson won the previous race for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series in the Showdown On The Coast on October 17 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, GA. Bronson also has a NeSmith Late Model career win at Bubba Raceway in 2013.

Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL will begin a three-way battle for the second spot in the NeSmith Late Model point standings from the outside of the front row in Saturday night’s season finale, as he won the second ten-lap heat race on Friday night driving the Edge’s Gas Company Special. Edge is currently third in the National point standings, ten points behind Ryan King of Seymour, TN.

Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC won the third Heat Race in the M&W Transportation Special on Friday night to earn the inside second row starting spot for Saturday night’s main event. Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL will start outside Franklin in row two after driving the Adams Used Auto Parts Rocket to the win in the fourth heat race. Nosbisch won Round 3 of the 2015 NeSmith Late Model season on January 30 at Bubba Raceway Park.

The top four finishers in each of the four ten-lap heat races held on Friday night transferred into the Saturday night $10,000-to-win 100-lap 11th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race. Drivers that finished fifth on back in each heat race on Friday night will have a second chance to race their way into the big show through one of two B-Main races on Saturday night.

Joining Bronson in transfer spots out of the first heat race were Ivey in the Ivey Construction Special, Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year point leader King in the Brian King Roofing Stinger, and Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS in the B&M Salvage Rocket.

The 2012 World Championship Race Winner Ivedent Lloyd Jr. of Ocala, FL in the Ocala Restaurant Supply Special followed Edge into the big show out of the second heat race along with Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL in the Panama City Cycle Rocket, and Tom Maddox of Centre, AL in the Race Vinson Engines Trak-Star.

Second through fourth respectively behind Franklin in the third heat race and transferring into the main event were Mark Whitener of Middleburg, FL in the Dave’s Towing Special, Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN in the NeSmith Chevrolet Trak-Star, and Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series driver 14-year-old Michael Lake of Uniontown, PA in the Bland’s Towing Warrior.

By completing a qualification lap on Friday night, National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee Johnson earned enough points to make history and clinch his unprecedented third consecutive NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Championship that is worth $10,000.

Cale Conley of Vienna, WV in the AAA General Contractors Special, 2011 World Championship Race Winner Doug Horton of Wimauma, FL in the Adams Used Auto Parts Warrior, and Monte Skinner of Saraland, AL in the M&M Lifts Special finished second through fourth respectively behind Nosbisch to transfer into the big show out of the fourth heat race.

Among the drivers still on the outside looking in for a starting spot in the 11th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race are the defending race champion Walker Arthur of Forest, VA, and two drivers in the Top 12 of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings, Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN and Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS.

Henderson is among the trio of drivers battling for second in the NeSmith Late Model National point standings. Henderson is fourth in the points chase, 22 points behind Edge and 32 points behind King, who he is also battling for the 2015 Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year Award.

The top three finishers in each B-Main Race on Saturday night will transfer to the main event in starting spots 17 through 22. Henderson and Blount will be eligible for the two NeSmith Late Model Provisional 23rd and 24th starting spots.

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 awarded on a monthly basis.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR ROUND 22 AT BUBBA RACEWAY PARK IN OCALA, FL ON 11/20/15:

GROUP QUALIFYING:

GROUP 1:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 40b Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL Rocket 14.875 15.314 14.875
2 88 Trent Ivey Union, SC Mastersbilt 15.706 15.335 15.335
3 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA Mastersbilt 15.816 15.497 15.497
4 30 Ryan King - R Seymour, TN Stinger 15.798 15.529 15.529
5 23 Jimmy Mac Mooresville, NC Barry Wright 18.422 15.740 15.740
6 03 Phillip Cobb Dover, FL Barry Wright 16.037 15.874 15.874
7 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 15.972 15.887 15.887
8 15 Jason Britton - R Alexander City, AL Pierce 16.050 16.671 16.050
9 33s Carter Stokes New Smyrna Bch, FL Rocket NT NT NT

GROUP 2:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico, FL Rocket 15.528 15.286 15.286
2 11 Doug Horton Wimauma, FL Warrior 15.413 15.486 15.413
3 H2 Matt Henderson - R Loudon, TN Rocket 15.561 15.896 15.561
4 14c Cale Conley Vienna, WV Pierce 16.110 15.584 15.584
5 08 Justin Shipley Douglasville, GA Team 17 16.035 15.702 15.702
6 00m Monte Skinner Saraland, AL Capital 16.062 16.272 16.062
7 5b Brian Johnson Riverview, FL Warrior 16.375 16.075 16.075
8 41k John Kellum Jacksonville, FL Mastersbilt 17.219 16.671 16.671
9 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS HRRC 17.673 17.157 17.157

GROUP 3:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 RJ1 Michael Lake - Y Uniontown, PA Rocket 15.647 15.223 15.223
2 2 Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC Longhorn 15.663 15.489 15.489
3 58 Mark Whitener Middleburg, FL Barry Wright 15.898 15.549 15.549
4 03 Chris O'Connor Cantonment, FL HRRC 15.707 15.962 15.707
5 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Trak Star 16.025 15.739 15.739
6 73 Evan Ellis Plantersville, MS Barry Wright 15.857 16.255 15.857
7 5s Blake Spencer St. Augustine, FL GRT 16.769 15.924 15.924
8 14 Braeden Dillinger - Y Dawson, PA Warrior 16.359 15.981 15.981
9 45 Bobby Richardson Eustis, FL Mastersbilt 16.144 16.141 16.141

GROUP 4:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 15.539 15.089 15.089
2 14 Tyler Clem - R/Y St. Petersburg, FL Rocket 15.490 16.800 15.490
3 21 Ivedent Lloyd Jr, Ocala, FL Snow Bros 15.493 15.846 15.493
4 85 Tom Maddox Centre, AL Trak-Star 15.950 15.650 15.650
5 12 Ashton Winger - Y Senoia, GA Rocket 16.518 15.733 15.733
6 00 Russell Brown Jr. Valdosta, GA Brown 16.038 15.767 15.767
7 10c Ryan Crane - R Panama City, FL Rocket 15.889 15.830 15.830
8 B69 Bryan Bernhardt Clearwater, FL Rocket 16.157 16.234 16.157
9 10 Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN Black Diamond 16.754 16.318 16.318

HEAT RACES (10 Laps – Top 4 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST HEAT: 1. Bronson; 2. Ivey; 3. King (R); 4. Minga; 5. Arthur; 6. Mac; 7. Cobb; 8. Britton (R); 9. Stokes DNS.

2ND HEAT: 1. Edge; 2. Lloyd; 3. Crane (R); 4. Maddox; 5. Clem (R/Y); 6. Bernhardt; 7. Winger (Y); 8. Brown; 9. Cooper.

3RD HEAT: 1. Franklin; 2. Whitener; 3. R. Johnson; 4. Lake (Y); 5. Ellis; 6. Spencer; 7. O’Connor; 8. Dillinger; 9. Richardson.

4TH HEAT: 1. Nosbisch; 2. Conley; 3. Horton; 4. Skinner; 5. Shipley; 6. Kellum; 7. Henderson (R); 8. Blount; 9. B. Johnson.

“SWEET 16” STARTING LINE-UP FOR 11TH ANNUAL CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE:

ROW 1:
40b Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL – 18 Chase Edge, LaFayette, AL
ROW 2:
2 Dennis Franklin, Gaffney, SC – 02 Keith Nosbisch, Valrico, FL
ROW 3:
88 Trent Ivey, Union, SC – 21 Ivedent Lloyd Jr., Ocala, FL
ROW 4:
58 Mark Whitener, Middleburg, FL – 14 Cale Conley, Vienna, WV
ROW 5:
30 Ryan King, Seymour, TN (R) – 10c Ryan Crane, Panama City, FL (R)
ROW 6:
5 Ronnie Johnson, Chattanooga, TN – 11 Doug Horton, Wimauma, FL
ROW 7:
19 Marcus Minga, Shannon, MS – 85 Tom Maddox, Centre, AL
ROW 8:
RJ1 Michael Lake, Uniontown, PA (Y) – 00m Monte Skinner, Saraland, AL

B-MAIN STARTING LINE-UPS (Laps TBA – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN:
87 Walker Arthur – 14c Tyler Clem (R/Y)
23 Jimmy Mac – B69 Bryan Bernhardt
03c Phillip Cobb – 12 Ashton Winger (Y)
15 Jason Britton (R) – 00 Russell Brown Jr.
33c Carter Stokes – 10 Ronnie Cooper

2ND B-MAIN:
73 Evan Ellis – 08 Justin Shipley
5s Blake Spencer – 41k John Kellum
03 Chris O’Connor – H2 Matt Henderson (R)
14d Braeden Dillinger – 121 Michael Blount
45 Bobby Richardson – 5 Brian Johnson

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

Y – Denotes Sunoco Young Gun Challenge Series Driver