NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release: 
Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157
September 2, 2012

J-MAC DOES IT AGAIN WITH NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS WIN AT THE MAG

COLUMBUS, MS – Justin McRee of Cottondale, MS won the Black Ice 40 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division on Sunday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway.  It was the third win of the season for J-Mac, and his second in as many nights driving the High Roller Race Cars Special.

McRee held off a mid-race challenge from two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN, who took his Eads Farms/Hardy & Associates Warrior to the high side, and passed McRee for the lead on lap 21.  McRee took back the lead one lap later, went to the high side of the track, and checked out on the field.

“We checked out early running the bottom of the track, but when I saw David Earl up on the high side, I knew it was time to get up there,” McRee said.  “That’s where I need to be anyway because this is a High Roller Race Car that we built in our shop.  We’ve been working with it all season, and I think we’ve got it where we want it.  The next phase is to build some to sell.  This car is for sale.”

Larry Harrod of Plains, GA made a late-race charge to take the second spot in the Harrod Logging Special, and Mike Boland of Cuba, AL started 15th in the Lee Racing Trak-Star and finished third to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award.  The Shaw Brothers claim the next two spots.

Kyle Shaw of Millport, AL finished fourth in the Knock ‘Em Out Kennels Trak-Star, and Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL was fifth in the Summit Resource Development Trak-Star.  Brett White of Kosciusko, MS drove the White Racing Trak-Star to a sixth-place finish, and Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS was seventh in the Ellis Welding Special.

Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS grabbed the eighth spot in the Lamar Auto Salvage GRT, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA reclaimed the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point lead with a ninth-place effort in the Hedman Husler Special.

Turner came into the race trailing Gentry by two points in the chase for the $20,000 Championship.  It looked like Gentry was going to pad his lead, as he spent most of the race in the second spot, while Turner ran outside the top ten.  The last three laps of the race dramatically changed the title hunt.

With three laps to go, Gentry suddenly slowed down the backstretch with a major mechanical malfunction and when to the pits.  That earned Gentry the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.

Turner drove from the 13th spot to ninth in the last three laps of the race to finish ninth, and now holds an 18-point lead over Gentry with two races left in the 2012 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season. 

Gentry made up an 18-point deficit on Turner with a fourth-place finish on Saturday night at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS to take a two point lead after Turner had a mechanical failure.  Gentry gave it all back on Sunday night.  This point battle could go right down to the wire.  If Turner and Gentry were to have major problems in the same race, Harrod is not that far behind in third, 66 points behind Turner.

Tony Gray of Coker, AL rounded out the top ten in the Gray Motorsports Special.  In preliminary action, McRee was the fast qualifier among the 32 entrants with a lap around the 3/8-mile black gumbo clay oval in 14.081 seconds, and the two ten-lap B-Main Races were won by Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL in the Edge’s Gas Company Special and White.

McRee took the lead from the pole position coming off the second turn of the first lap followed by Gentry, Harrod, Gray and Jeremy Shaw.  Ellis got by Shaw for the fifth spot on lap four, and by lap ten, McRee was already encountering the cars on the tail of the lead lap.  Gray began to fall back on lap ten, as Ellis moved up to third by 11, and passed Gentry for second on lap 14.

The first of three caution flags was unfurled on lap 15 when Cody Kierre of Beebe, AR spun the K&E Racing GRT in turn two.  McRee led Ellis, Gentry, Harrod, Jeremy Shaw, Kyle Shaw, Gray, Boland, White, and Doug Sanchagrin of Florence, MS in the Permanent Exterior Solutions Trak-Star doubled up behind him for the restart.

When the green flag came back out, Gentry wound it up on the outside and sailed around Ellis to reclaim the second spot, while Harrod dropped back to the sixth spot.  Gentry kept his high side momentum going as he chased down McRee, who was running the bottom of the track. 

Gentry took the lead on lap 21, but McRee drove back under him coming off the fourth turn on lap 22 to retake the lead.  The field was slowed on lap 23 for the second caution flag of the race when Kierre spun in turn again in turn two and collected Ronnie Cooper of McKenzie, TN in the Ronnie Cooper Trucking GRT.

The top ten line-up for the double-file restart saw McRee leading Gentry, Jeremy Shaw, Ellis, Harrod, Kyle Shaw, Boland, Gray, Blount, and Daniel Bridgemon of Meridian, MS in the Robinson Electric Rocket.  Boland got to the inside on the restart and advanced from seventh to fourth  Boland then drove under Jeremy Shaw for the third spot on lap 30.

McRee was checking out on Gentry, who had company from Boland on lap 32 for a side-by-side battle for the second spot.  Boland edged ahead of Gentry for the second spot on lap 34, but with six laps to go, McRee had opened up a full straightaway lead.  Gentry’s race was over, along with McRee’s big lead, on lap 38 when Gentry slowed on backstretch to bring out the caution flag.

With three laps to go, McRee lead a single-file restart followed by Boland, Harrod, Jeremy Shaw, Ellis, Kyle Shaw, Blount, White, Gray and Bridgemon.  The battles were numerous, fast and furious in the final three laps.

Harrod got by Boland for second, Kyle Shaw got by Ellis for fifth, White passed Blount and Ellis to finish sixth, and Turner came from 11th to pass Bridgemon and Gray to take ninth.  None of them, however, could get close to McRee, who took the checkered flag with a 2.341 second margin of victory.

The penultimate race of the 2012 season for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division will be the $5,000-to-win 60-lap 6th Annual Gumbo Nationals at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS on October 4-6.

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 20 AT MAGNOLIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN COLUMBUS, MS ON 9/2/12:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 25 Justin McRee Cottondale, AL 40 $2,000
2. 4 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA 40 $1,000
3. 15 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 40 $800
4. 6 2s Kyle Shaw Millport, AL 40 $550
5. 5 1s Jeremy Shaw Millport, AL 40 $500
6. 12 44 Brett White Kosciusko, MS 40 $425
7. 9 73 Evan Ellis Plantersville, MS 40 $375
8. 16 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 40 $350
9. 19 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $325
10. 3 35 Tony Gray Coker, AL 40 $300
11. 10 09 Daniel Bridgemon Meridian, MS 40 $275
12. 22 27c Hunter Carroll Columbus, MS 40 $250
13. 17 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 40 $225
14. 8 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $200
15. 7 34 Doug Sanchagrin Florence, MS 40 $175
16. 24 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN 39 $150
17. 14 14 Chance Inman Bruce, MS 39 $140
18. 11 18 Chase Edge Lafayette, AL 39 $125
19. 2 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 37 $125
20. 23 17k Cody Kierre (R) Beebe, AR 33 $125
21. 20 21m Cody Martin Christiana, TN 21 $125
22. 18 33 Sid Scarbrough Florence, MS 11 $125
23. 13 6 T.K. King Columbus, MS 6 $125
24. 21 F22 Carlton Freeman Eastaboga, AL 4 $125

ENTRIES:  32
FAST QUALIFIER:  McRee, 14.081 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  Kierre and Cooper
LEAD CHANGES:  2
LAP LEADERS:  McRee, 1-20; Gentry, 21; McRee, 22-40
LAPS LED:  McRee, 39; Gentry, 1
VP RACING FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Kierre
HEDMAN HUSLER OF THE RACE AWARD:  Boland (started 15th and finished 3rd)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD:  Gentry
INTEGRA RACING SHOCKS JUST MISSED IT AWARD:  Jamey Boland
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD:  J. Shaw
KRC 6TH-PLACE AWARD:  White
QA 1 RACE PRODUCTS 7TH-PLACE AWARD:  Ellis
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD:  Blount
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD:  Turner
KRC 10TH-PLACE AWARD:  Gray
MIKE’S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD:  Bridgemon
SHORTY’S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD:  Carroll
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 13TH-PLACE AWARD:  Minga
J.T. KERR RACING EQUIPMENT 14TH-PLACE AWARD:  Stokes
KINSER AIR FILTERS 15TH-PLACE AWARD:  Sanchagrin
CAUTIONS:  3
MARGIN OF VICTORY:  2.341 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE:  24 Minutes and 2.208 Seconds