NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release:
Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157
August 25, 2011

NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES WEEK 22 PREVIEW

CARTERSVILLE, GA – Eight races are on the Week 22 schedule of events for the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series with seven races in the West Region and one race in the Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region. Several drivers are still in the running for the $5,000 Championship in each Region as the series hits the home stretch with six weeks remaining in the 2011 season.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 22 action in the West Region begins on Friday night with races scheduled for Hattiesburg Motorsports Park in Hattiesburg, MS and at Malden Speedway in Malden, MO.

Saturday night NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region events will be highlighted by the $1,000-to-win I-20 Challenge Race at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS. That event will also be an opportunity for drivers to warn up for the $5,000-to-win Coca-Cola Zero 75 at WMP on September 2-3 for the Nesmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Tour.

Also in action on Saturday night in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS West Region will be Centerville Speedway in Centerville, AR, Drew County Speedway in Monticello, AR, Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS and Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS. The Mag will host the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Tour with a 40-lap $2,000-to-win race on September 4.

The only race on the Week 22 schedule for the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region will be at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL.

All but one of the title contenders in both Regions have reached the 14-week mark of the 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season and will be trying to net points to improve their best 14-week point totals that count towards their season totals along with up to 100 Regional Bonus Points. Four drivers can still earn another 25 Regional Bonus Points.

Up to 100 Regional Bonus Points are earned one of two ways: A driver can earn 25 Regional Bonus Points by competing in a NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring race, or 25 Regional Bonus Points can be earned for each four consecutive nights of perfect attendance at a single NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series track.

A driver can earn a maximum of 800 Regional points based on fourteen 50-point wins awarded at events with car counts of eight or more and 100 Regional Bonus Points. The following are the championship scenarios in both the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region and the Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region.

The 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion Jim McDuffie of Meridian, MS leads the West Region in quest of his second title with 795 points. McDuffie can still earn a perfect score of 800 points with five 50-point wins in the remaining six weeks of the season. McDuffie is now trying to net on his lowest 14-week point totals of five 49-point second-place finishes.

McDuffie has nine 50-point wins, five 49-point second-place finishes, and the maximum of 100 Regional Bonus Points that make up his best 14-week point total of 795 points. McDuffie has competed in 23 races with ten wins, 20 top five finishes, and 22 top ten finishes driving the H.E. Mosley, Inc. Trak-Star.

Duke Palasini of Leland, MS is second in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region standings with 783 points, and can still earn a perfect score of 800 in the remaining six weeks of the season. Palasini can still net on a 41, two 47s, and two 49s.

Palasini has nine 50-point wins this season driving the Palasini Farms Special, and five 50-point wins in the remaining six weeks of the season would bring his total to 800 points.

Justin McRee of Tuscaloosa, AL is fifth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region standings with 746 points, but he still has a mathematical chance to win the 2011 West Region Championship with six weeks remaining in the season.

McRee can still earn 25 Regional Bonus Points and net on a 41, a 43, a 45, two 48s, and a 49. Six 50-point wins and the 25 Regional Bonus Points in the six remaining weeks of the season would bring McRee’s best 14-week point total to 797 points. McRee has six wins, 12 top five finishes, and 15 top ten finishes in 19 starts driving the Century Dedicated, Inc. Trak-Star.

There are four drivers, Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL, Adam Gauldin of Talladega, AL, Russ Ogletree of Phenix City, AL, and Tod Darda of LaGrange, GA, still in the hunt for the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region Championship.

Elkins leads the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS OMG East Region standings with 786 points. In the remaining six weeks of season, Elkins will be trying to net on two 47s, a 48, and three 49s. Six 50-point wins would bring Elkins’ best 14-week point total to 797. In 20 starts this season, Elkins has five wins and 15 top five finishes driving the ADP Special.

Gauldin is second in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS OMG East Region standings with 783 points and six 50-point wins would net on a 46, two 47s, a 48 and two 49s to bring his best 14-week point total to 797. Gauldin has five wins, 16 top five finishes and 19 top ten finishes in 19 starts driving the Adam Gauldin Racing GRT.

Ogletree is fifth in the OMG East Region standings with 737 points, and can still earn 25 Regional Bonus Points. Six 50-point wins in the remaining weeks of the season would net on a 37, a 41, a 44, and three 48s to bring his best 14-week point total to 796. Ogletree has four wins, 12 top five finishes and 13 top ten finishes in 14 starts in the Northeast Alabama Audiology Special.

Darda is tenth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region standings with 673 points, but he still has two more weeks to earn full points to reach the 14-week mark. Once Darda reaches that milestone, he will be trying to net on two 40-point wins, a 47 and a 49.

If Darda can capture six 50-point wins in the remaining weeks of the season, he would bring his best 14-week point total to 797. Darda has seven wins and 12 top five finishes in 12 starts driving the PW Performance GRT. The points tie-breaker in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series is number of wins, followed by number of seconds, etc.

Four drivers are still battling for the second spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region. Bobby Jordan of McCarley, MS is currently third in the West Region standings with 758 points. Jordan can still net on four 45s and two 46s. Six 50-point wins would bring Jordan’s best 14-week point total to 786 at the end of the season.

Landon Frith of Terry, MS is fourth in the West Region standings with 750 points with six week to go in the season. Frith can still net on a 41, a 43, a 44, two 45s, and a 46. Six 50-point wins would bring Frith’s best 14-week point total to 786 at the end of the season.

Randy Boyd of Marion, MS is sixth with 745 points. Six 50-point wins netting on three 41s, a 44, and two 47s would bring his best 14-week point total to 784 at the end of the season. Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS is eighth with 733 points. Arnold can earn another 25 Regional Bonus Points, and six 50-point wins will net on a 41, a 43, a 44, a 45, a 47, and a 48 to bring his best 14-week point total to 790.

Three drivers currently in the Top 10 of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region standings are in the running for a third-place finish in the final 2011 standings in six weeks. Bubba Harrison of Cleveland, MS is seventh with 740 points and six 50-point wins would net on two 41s, a 43, a 44, and two 45s to bring his best 14-week total to 781.

Larry Murphy of Meridian, MS is currently ninth in the West Region standings with 727 points. Murphy can still earn 25 Regional Bonus Points, and six 50-points wins would net on a 41, four 46s, and a 47 to bring his best 14-week point total to 780.

Chandler Petty of Austin, AR rounds out the Top 10 in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region standings with 717 points. Petty can bring his best 14-week point total to 777 at the end of the season with six 50-point wins to net on a 39, four 40s, and a 41.

There are three drivers with a good chance of closing in on one of the Top 10 points fund paying positions of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region standings this week by earning 25 Regional Bonus Points with their fourth straight race of perfect attendance.

Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS is 13th in the West Region standings with 701 points, and can earn 25 Regional Bonus Points with his fourth straight race at Magnolia Motor Speedway. Barrett will also be looking to net on a 41. Daniel Bridgeman of Meridian, MS is 17th with 673 points and can earn 25 Regional Bonus Points at Magnolia Motor Speedway along with trying to net on a 41.

Tim Dees of Meridian, MS, who is 18th in the West Region standings with 669 points, will be looking to take his second straight win at Whynot Motorsports Park to net on a 41, and can earn 25 Regional Bonus Points at either WMP or The Mag.

Mike Combs of Odenville, AL is third in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region standings with 750 points. Combs still has a mathematical chance to finish second in the standings with six 50-point wins to net on a 42, a 43, a 44, a 45, and two 46s that would bring his best 14-week point total to 784.

Three drivers still have a mathematical chance to compete for the third spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS OMG East Region standings. Doug Ludwig of Grantville, GA is fourth with 738 points and with six 50-point wins in the remaining weeks of the season can net on a 38, a 41, a 43, a 45, and two 46s to bring his best 14-week point total to 779.

Brian Ponder of Talladega, AL is currently sixth in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS OMG East Region standings with 735 points. Six 50-point wins from Ponder would net on two 43s, three 44s, and a 45 to bring his best 14-week point total to 772. Kevin Maher of McDavid, FL is eighth with 689 points and six 50-point wins would net on four 38s, a 39, and a 40 to bring his season total to 758.

Two drivers, Ryan King of Anniston, AL and Maddox Mullinax of Birmingham, AL, can compete for NeSmith Chevrolet WRS OMG East Region Top 5 spots in the six remaining weeks of the 2011 season.

King is seventh in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS OMG East Region standings with 705 points. Six 50-point wins for King will net on a 37, two 44s, two 45s and a 47 to bring his 14-week point total to 745. Mullinax is ninth with 682 points and six 50-point wins would net on six 41s to bring his 14-week total to 736 points.

Drivers participating in NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series events compete for prize money at each event, and each track will pay out a point fund at the end of the season. Drivers are also competing for the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Regional point fund that pays $5,000 to the Champion and pays back through the top ten spots in each Region.

The dirt late model race cars in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series are powered by the economical GM Performance Crate Engines that are built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications. There are two engines to choose from, the 400 horsepower aluminum-head 604 engine and the 350 horsepower steel-head 602 engine that gets a 150-pound weight break.

These engines are in stock and ready for free next day delivery anywhere in the Southeast from NeSmith Chevrolet in Claxton, GA. The GM Performance 604 Crate Engine is on sale for $5,095 and the GM Performance 602 Crate Engine is on sale for $3,195 at NeSmith Chevrolet in Claxton, GA. To place an order call Tim Bland at 1-877-497-3624.

Results and the point standings for the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 22 action will be posted on Monday afternoon in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Round Up. For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series tracks, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com and click the Venues page.

For more information 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.