ADAIRSVILLE, GA – The $3,000-to-win $300-to-start Mountain Moonshine Classic at historic Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, TN is next up for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. East Tennessee race fans will have the opportunity to see a different group of talented young drivers that don’t get to see every week.

Several drivers in the Top 10 of the Durrence Layne Dirt Late Model Series point standings will be bringing a score of winning family traditions into Smoky Mountain Speedway this Saturday night.

Jake Knowles of Rome, GA leads the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings in the chase for the Durrence Layne Cup and the $10,000 check that goes with it. In the first four races of the 2019 season, Knowles is the only driver to finish in the top five in each event. Knowles was the 2018 Durrence Layne National Late Model Championship Runner-Up.

Knowles has one win this season, as he captured the season opener on April 26 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. With 382 points, the second-generation driver has a 50-point lead over another second generation driver Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL.

Skinner, who won the VP Racing Fuels Young Guns Challenge Series in 2015 at the age of 14, leads the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year point standings. Skinner has a top five finish and three top ten finishes in the first four Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series races this season. Skinner is just ahead of two drivers that make up the “Hohenwald Gang.”

Hohenwald, TN drivers Oakley Johns and Tyler Wood are third and fourth respectively in the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings. Johns is 12 points behind Skinner with 320 points after a top five finish and two top ten finishes. Wood has 316 points after three top ten finishes.

A second teenaged second-generation driver among the top five Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series competitors holds down the fifth spot, as 15-year-old Jake Rainey of Hiram, GA has 308 points. Rainey’s best finish of the season was a third-place showing at Talladega Short Track on April 27.

Rainey is also currently second in the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year point standings, and fourth in the VP Racing Fuels Young Guns Challenge Series point standings. The VP Racing Fuels Young Guns Challenge Series carries a separate point fund for Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Model drivers that are 18 year of age or younger.

Knowles is the son of Wade Knowles, Skinner is the son of Greg Skinner, and Rainey is the son Derrick Rainey, all well-known former dirt late model racers. Wade Knowles has a career win at Smoky Mountain Speedway, and Derrick Rainey has a Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series career win at Smoky Mountain Speedway.

T.J. Brittain of Center, AL is sixth in the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series standings with 306 points after one top five finish and two top ten finishes in the first four races of the 2019 season. Brittain will be driving a Warrior Race Car that is manufactured locally in Knoxville, TN.

Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, GA is another bright new star on the Durrence Layne Chevrolet National Late Model tour. Herrington is fresh off his first career Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win on May 26 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS.

Herrington is seventh in the Durrence Layne Late Model National standings with 300 points after one win and three top ten finishes, and is third in the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year point standings. Herrington drives a CVR Race Car that is also manufactured locally in Lenoir City, TN.

Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS is eighth in the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series standings with 294 points. Minga has been a regular on the Durrence Layne National Late Model Tour for several years and is the “old man” of the top ten drivers at age 39.

David Kay of Munford, AL is a new regular on the Durrence Layne Dirt Late Model Series National Tour for 2019, and is ninth in the standings with 292 points. Kay has a top five finish and two top ten finishes in his first four starts of the season. During the off weekends of the National Tour, Kay also competes for points in the Durrence Layne Weekly Racing Series Late Model Division.

Jadon Frame of Decherd, TN rounds out the top ten in the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National standings with 290 points. Frame has one top five finish and two top ten finishes in the first four races, and he is also fourth in the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year point standings.

On Saturday at Smoky Mountain Speedway, the pit gate opens at 2 p.m. with Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Pre-Race Registration and Technical Inspection from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Drivers Meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. with Hot Laps scheduled for 7 p.m. and racing to follow.

Smoky Mountain Speedway is south of Maryville, TN off U.S. Highway 411 at 809 Brick Mill Road in Maryville, TN 37801. For more information call 865-856-8989 or visit the track web site at www.smokymountainspeedway.com. You can also Like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SmokyMtnSpeed/ or Follow them on Twitter @smokymtnspeed.

For more information and rules about the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.durrencelayneracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at Durrence Layne Racing. You can follow us on Twitter @DurrenceLayneRacing.


Durrence Layne Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models and the Pacesetter Award Sponsor at Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series events. Durrence Layne Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is one of the nation’s top GM Powertrain and Performance Dealers, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast. Chevrolet Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models. Hoosier Racing Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models. VP Racing Fuels and Lubricants is the Official Race Fuel and Lubricant of the Durrence Layne Late Models, sponsor of the VP Lubricants Starting Box, and the VP Lubricants Slick Move of the Race Award at Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series events. Knowles Race Parts and Bodies is the Official Parts Supplier for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Late Models and the Hard Charger Award Sponsor at National Touring events. Boyd Bilt Fabrication is the Fast Qualifier Sponsor at Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series events. Keyser Manufacturing is the Hard Luck Award Sponsor at Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series events. Cruise With The Champions is the Rookie of the Year Sponsors of the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. KRC Power Steering is a Heat Race Sponsor for the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. David Smith Carburetors is the Official Carburetor of Durrence Layne Racing. Fullmoon Graphics is the Official Wrap, Banner, and Sign Company of Durrence Layne Racing. 2019 Chassis Sponsors are Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, and CVR Race Cars.