NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release: 
Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157
July 5, 2012

THOMAS HALFWAY HOME TO NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS BONUS WITH PENTON WIN

PENTON, AL – William Thomas of Phenix City, AL is halfway home to a $1,000 Bonus, as he took his second straight win in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division Salute To America Nationals on Thursday night at Penton Raceway.  For the second straight night, Thomas led wire-to-wire for all 40 laps in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Special.

It was also the second straight sweep for Thomas, as he was also the fast qualifier among the 29 entrants with a lap around the 3.8-mile clay oval in 14.484 seconds to earn the pole position for the main event.  The race was not uneventful for Thomas, however, as he crashed with lapped car on lap 23, and then had to hold off a late race challenge from Tod Darda of LaGrange, GA.

“I’m thankful that we were able to continue after getting into the lapped car,” Thomas said.  “Last night the lapped cars gave me room to get by, but tonight, they were really in the way.  Tomorrow night, I might have to move them out of the way.  I do want to thank Tod Darda because I knew he was there at the end of the race and he raced me clean.”

Darda had to settle for second in the PW Performance GRT, .237 seconds behind Thomas at the checkered flag.  Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL drove the Edge’s Gas Company Special to his second straight third-place finish and moved up to the fourth spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division point standings.

NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division point leader Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA also posted his second straight top five finish in the Hedman Husler Special with a fourth-place effort.  Turner now holds a 20-point advantage over two-time series champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN in the $20,000 championship battle.

VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year point leader Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC finished fifth in the CANCO Rocket and remains third overall in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series points chase.  Cantrell was the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race.  Gentry finished sixth in the Eads Farms/Hardy & Associates Warrior.

Justin Summers of Greenback, TN took the seventh spot in the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger, and Kelly Walker of Moultrie, GA was eighth in the Windy Pond Farms Special.  Larry Harrod of Plains, GA finished ninth in the Harrod Logging Special, and Phillip Cobb of Dover, FL rounded out the top ten in the Mathis Farms Special.

Frank Wilson of Harold, FL started 21st in the Wilson Lumber Trak-Star and finished 12th to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award.  Thomas Lewis of Hamilton, GA in the Green’s Propane Gas Special was running in a transfer spot in the second 10-lap B-main when he cut down a tire on the final lap.  That misfortune earned Lewis the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.

The first 10-lap B-Main Race was won by Harrod and Cobb won the second 10-lap B-Main.  Mark Rosner of Maryville, TN got the Integra Racing Shocks Just Missed It Award by being the first driver that failed to transfer to the main event in B-main competition driving the J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Stinger.

Thomas picked up where he left off on Wednesday night, by leading the field into the first turn from the pole position at the start of the race followed by Darda, Cantrell, Edge, and Richie Stephens of Salem, AL in the Lovestuffonline.com Special.  The first of four caution flags came out on lap three when Cord Dodgen of Lafayette, AL spun the Jeff Dodgen Logging Special in turn four.

When the field went back to green flag action, Gentry dove under Stephens in turn two on lap four to take over the fifth spot.  Ryan King of Anniston, AL spun the David King Automotive Special in turn four on lap seven to bring out the second caution flag.

Thomas led Darda, Cantrell, Edge, Gentry, Turner, Stephens, Summers, Harrod, and Walker down for the “Dixie-Style” double-file restart, and Edge got by Cantrell to take over the third spot.  Shan Smith of Dade City, FL spun the Outlaw Race Parts TNT in turn one on lap ten to light up the yellow caution bulb for the third time in the race.

On the next double-file restart, Thomas led Darda into turn one, but Cantrell got back by Edge to retake the third position, while Turner and Stephens got around Gentry to move into the fifth and sixth spots respectively.  Gentry worked his way back around Stephens for the sixth position on lap 13.

Thomas began lapping the cars on the tail of the lead lap by lap 17, and that was a tedious process for the race leader.  On lap 24, Thomas tried to work to the inside of Adam Gauldin of Talladega, AL in turn four, but Gauldin spun the Adam Gauldin Racing GRT and collected Thomas.  The caution was charged to Gauldin, and Thomas was able to reassume the point.

During the caution period, series and track officials looked over the damaged right-front corner of leader’s race car and deemed it safe enough to continue.  When the field went back to green flag action, Thomas was able to pick up the pace followed by Darda, Cantrell, Edge, Turner, Gentry, Walker, Harrod, Summers and Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS in the Custom Spraying GRT.

The final caution flag of the race came on the restart when Dodgen spun for the second time in the race in turn two.  Edge was able to once again drive around Cantrell on the next double-file restart for the third spot.  Summers got around Harrod for the eighth spot on lap 25, and Turner passed Cantrell for fourth on lap 26.

Thomas once again encountered lapped traffic on lap 30, while Summers moved up another spot after passing Walker for the seventh spot.  While Thomas tried to work around lapped traffic, Darda closed in on the leader during the closing laps of the race.  Darda got to Thomas’ back bumper, but Thomas was able to hang on for his 10th series career win.

Thomas will go for his third straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win in as many nights on Friday night at Penton Raceway when the series returns for the third night of the Salute To America Nationals with another 40-lap $2,000-to-win main event.  The four and final race of the Salute To America Nationals will be on Saturday night at Albany Motor Speedway in Albany, GA with a 50-lap $2,500-to-win event.

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.  You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 14 AT PENTON RACEWAY IN PENTON, AL ON 7/5/12:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL 40 $2,000
2. 3 91 Tod Darda LaGrange, GA 40 $1,000
3. 5 18 Chase Edge Lafayette, AL 40 $700
4. 4 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $550
5. 2 114 Chris Cantrell (R) Chester, SC 40 $500
6. 7 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 40 $425
7. 9 99 Justin Summers (R) Greenback, TN 40 $375
8. 10 21k Kelly Walker Moultrie, GA 40 $350
9. 11 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA 40 $325
10. 12 32 Phillip Cobb (R) Dover, FL 40 $300
11. 15 110 Brent Barrett Cleveland, MS 40 $275
12. 21 72 Frank Wilson Harold, FL 40 $250
13. 8 55 Ryan King Anniston, AL 40 $225
14. 23 17k Cody Kierre (R) Beebe, AR 40 $200
15. 14 K9 Dana Eiland Salem, AL 40 $175
16. 20 H2 Bret Holmes Munford, AL 40 $150
17. 16 14 Maverick Varnadore Dover, FL 39 $140
18. 17 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 39 $125
19. 22 22m Taylor Mitcham Lafayette, AL 38 $125
20. 18 85 Mitch Thornton Columbia, TN 38 $125
21. 6 XXX Richie Stephens Salem, AL 23 $125
22. 13 18d Cord Dodgen Lafayette, AL 23 $125
23. 24 17 Adam Gauldin Talladega, AL 22 $125
24. 19 99w Shan Smith Dade City, FL 10 $125

ENTRIES:  29
FAST QUALIFIER:  Thomas, 14.484 Seconds
PROVISIONAL:  Kierre
LEAD CHANGES:  None
LAPS LED:  Thomas, 1-40
VP RACING FUEL ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Cantrell
HEDMAN HUSLER OF THE RACE:  Wilson (started 21st and finished 11th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD:  Thomas Lewis
INTEGRA RACING SHOCKS JUST MISSED IT AWARD:  Mark Rosner
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD:  Cantrell
KRC 6TH-PLACE AWARD:  Gentry
QA 1 RACE PRODUCTS 7TH-PLACE AWARD:  Summers
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD:  Walker
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD:  Harrod
KRC 10TH-PLACE AWARD:  Cobb
MIKE’S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD:  Barrett
SHORTY’S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD:  Wilson
SCHOENFELD SHOCKS 13TH-PLACE AWARD:  King
J.T. KERR RACING EQUIPMENT 14TH-PLACE AWARD:  Kierre
KINSER AIR FILTERS 15TH-PLACE AWARD:  Eiland
CAUTIONS:  5
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  .237 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  34 Minutes and 7.453 Seconds