NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release: 
Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157
May 3, 2014

McRee Defends NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Ozark Nationals With Batesville Win

BATESVILLE, AR – Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL drove the High Roller Race Cars Special to his second career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Batesville Motor Speedway win on Saturday night, as he defended his Ozark Nationals title.  J-Mac made the top groove work for him to come from the fourth spot to take the point on lap 14, and lead the rest of the way.

McRee passed defending NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN, who was looking for his second straight Batesville Motor Speedway win on Friday night.  On lap 13, McRee, who started fourth, sailed around the outside of Mack McCarter of Gatlinburg, TN for the second spot, and stayed on the top shelf to pass Johnson for the lead.

McCarter would stay close to McRee for the remaining 37 laps, and was even able to pull along an a couple of occasions, but McRee stayed out front  and went on to post his 10th career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series victory in a race car of his own make.

“We committed to run the top of the race track from the start, and that’s why we call these cars High Rollers,” McRee said.  “Most everyone was on the bottom of the track, so that left the top wide open for us.  I knew I had to get around Johnson on the top because I knew my car wasn’t any good on the bottom.  Then I saw McCarter inside of me a couple of times, but I was confident we could stay out front by just running the groove that got is to the front.”

McCarter finished second for the second straight night, and for the third time this season in the McCarter Lumber CVR House Car.  Josh Adkins of Talladega, AL brought the Yellow Hammer Construction Special home in the third spot.  Johnson finished fourth in the Hickman Manufacturing Special, and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS came from the 15th starting spot to take fifth in the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT.

Ashley Newman of Ripley, TN finished sixth in the Greg’s Sawmill Special, and Brent Barrett of Cleveland, TN was seventh in the Custom Spraying GRT.  Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL drove the Edge’s Gas Company Special to an eighth-place finish, and Tait Davenport of Benton, KY took the ninth spot in the Murtco, Inc., Special.  Casey Findley of Bryant, AR rounded out the Top 10 in the K&E Racing Special.

NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Walker Arthur of Forest, VA was running fourth on a lap 21 restart, and almost spun his Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Special down the front straightaway.  That triggered a multi-car pile-up and sent Arthur to the back of the pack for the restart with a damaged race car.

Walker finished 11th, and combined with the finishes of McCarter, Adkins, and Johnson, set up a log jam at the top of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point standings in the battle for the $20,000 National Championship.  Just ten points now separate the top four drivers in the standings.

Walker’s 20-point lead going into the race has now shrunk to four points over McCarter in second.  Johnson is third, two points behind McCarter, and Adkins is fourth, four points behind Johnson.

In preliminary action, Johnson was the fast qualifier among the 27 entrants with a lap of 14.259 seconds.  The two ten-lap B-Main races were won by Caleb Myers of Columbus, MS in the Columbus Nissan GRT and Rookie of the Race Chris Noah of Rainbow City, AL in the Old Man’s Garage Special.

Johnson took the lead at the start of the 50-lap race from the pole position followed by McCarter, Arthur, McRee, and Chandler Petty of Austin, AR in the Whistle Stop Barbeque Rocket.  The field was slowed by the first of seven caution flags on lap three when Ronald Dunn of Corinth, MS spun the Dunn Motorsports Special in turn one.

The top ten drivers in the “Dixie Style” double-file restart were Johnson, McCarter, Arthur, McRee, Petty, Barrett, Adkins, Myers, Findley, and Edge.  Adkins passed Barrett for the sixth spot on the restart, and Stokes moved up to eighth by lap five.  Gavin Landers of Batesville, AR drove the Mark Martin Automotive Rocket up to the eighth spot by lap nine.

The charge to the front of the pack for McRee began early in the race, as he got by Arthur for the third spot on lap six, and seven laps later, J-Mac sailed around the outside of McCarter for the second spot.

Keeping his high-side momentum on lap 14, McRee drove around the outside of Johnson to take the lead.  Before McRee could put any distance between himself and Johnson, the caution flag was in the air on lap 15 when Jerry Buck of Paragould, AR stalled the Buck’s Auto Care GRT in turn four.

McRee had Johnson, McCarter, Arthur, Petty, Adkins, Landers, Findley, Stokes, and Barrett doubled up behind him for the restart.  Landers spun in turn two on lap 18 to bring out the third caution flag of the race.  The Top 10 for the restart was McRee, Johnson, McCarter, Arthur, Petty, Adkins, Stokes, Findley, Noah, and Barrett.

When the green bulb was ignited, McCarter drove under Johnson to take the second spot coming off the fourth turn.  By lap 20, McCarter was looking inside of McRee to challenge for the lead.

Lap 22 was a lap a third of the field would like to forget, because they weren’t around to complete lap 23.  It all began when Landers stalled on the front straightaway to bring out the caution flag.  On the restart, Findley spun in turn two that collected Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS in the Lamar Auto Salvage Trak-Star and Shawn Knuckles of Poplar Bluff, MO in the Rushin Towing GRT.

A big tangle that put fourth-place Arthur sideways in front of the field happened on the next restart. The ensuing melee sent fifth-place Petty, ninth-place Noah, Myers, Chase Washington of Houlka, MS in the Jerry Inmon Racing Special, and Roger Witt of Batesville, AR in the Chrome Sop Trak-Star to the pits for the evening.  Arthur was able to continue, but had to restart at the tail end of the lead lap cars.

That left 13 cars on the race track for the next restart that was clean and green.  McCarter began to put pressure on McRee for the lead, looking to the open inside groove, while J-Mac continued to be a “high roller.”  McRee mustered up enough momentum to open up a three car-length advantage on McCarter by lap 30.

The “Big Mac Attack” up front of McRee and McCarter had no pressure from behind, as they pulled out to a full straightaway advantage over third-place Johnson, who was feeling the heat from Adkins.  On lap 32, Adkins was able to use a lapped car as a pick, and drive around Johnson for third coming off the fourth turn.

The battle for the lead between McRee and McCarter encountered lapped traffic on lap 39, but before things could get interesting, the caution flag came out on lap 41 when Dunn done spun for the second time in the race down the backstretch.  That set up a ten lap dash to the finish with McRee leading McCarter, Adkins, Johnson, Stokes Newman, Barrett, Davenport, Edge, and Findley.

McRee hit his marks after the restart, and pulled out to a three car-length lead by lap 46.  McCarter stayed on the bottom of the track, but could build up enough steam to challenge for the lead.  McRee took the checkered flag with a .674 second margin of victory.

The next two NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series events will take place over the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend with a pair of 40-lap $2,000-to-win races.  The series will make its annual visits to Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS for Round 8 on May 24 and Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on May 25 for Round 9.

For more information and rules about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series all-new 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 7 AT BATESVILLE MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN BATESVILLE, AR ON 5/3/14:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 4 25 Justin McRee Woodstock, AL 50 $2,500
2. 3 51 Mack McCarter Gatlinburg, TN 50 $1,250
3. 7 19m Josh Adkins Talladega, AL 50 $850
4. 1 R1 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $700
5. 15 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 50 $650
6. 16 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN 50 $550
7. 8 110 Brent Barrett Cleveland, MS 50 $500
8. 5 18e Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 50 $450
9. 17 18 Tait Davenport Benton, KY 50 $400
10. 10 17f Casey Findley Bryant, AR 50 $375
11. 2 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA 50 $350
12. 24 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 39 $300
13. 19 17 Ronald Dunn Corinth, MS 38 $280
14. 6 47 Chandler Petty Austin, AR 21 $260
15. 12 56 Chris Noah (R) Rainbow City, AL 21 $250
16. 11 R3 Caleb Myers Columbus, MS 21 $240
17. 21 14jt Shawn Knuckles Poplar Bluff, MO 21 $220
18. 14 38 Chase Washington Houlka, MS 21 $200
19. 23 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 21 $200
20. 20 18w Roger Witt Batesville, AR 21 $200
21. 9 77 Gavin Landers Batesville, AR 21 $200
22. 13 17k Cody Kierre Beebe, AR 14 $200
23. 22 66 Robby Moore Brosley, MO 14 $200
24. 18 81 Jerry Buck Paragould, AR 14 $200

ENTRIES: 27
FAST QUALIFIER: Johnson, 14.259 Seconds
PROVISIONAL: Blount
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 1-13; McRee, 14-50
LAPS LED: McRee, 37; Johnson, 13
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Noah
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Petty
PRC JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Ronnie Cooper
STEALTH RACING CARBURETORS 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Barrett
SCHAEFFER’S OIL 8TH-PLACE AWARD PRESENTED BY CHAD WALLACE AND HEATHER NEWSOME: Edge
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Davenport
AR BODIES 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Findley
MIKE CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Arthur
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 12TH-PLACE AWARD: Minga
KINSER AIR FILTERS 13TH-PLACE AWARD: Dunn
CAUTIONS: 7
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .674 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 45 Minutes and 50.082 Seconds

QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):

POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 R1 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt 14.259 14.265 14.259
2 87 Walker Arthur Forest, VA Mastersbilt 14.569 14.278 14.278
3 51 Mack McCarter Gatlinburg, TN CVR 14.357 14.303 14.303
4 25 Justin McRee Woodstock, AL HRRC 14.331 14.321 14.321
5 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 14.532 14.329 14.329
6 47 Chandler Petty Austin, AR Rocket 14.719 14.336 14.336
7 19m Josh Adkins Talladega, AL Barry Wright 14.465 14.363 14.363
8 110 Brent Barrett Cleveland, MS GRT 14.602 14.435 14.435
9 77 Gavin Landers Batesville, AR Rocket 14.443 14.537 14.443
10 17f Casey Findley Bryant, AR Larry Shaw 14.755 14.510 14.510
11 R3 Caleb Myers Columbus, MS GRT 14.641 14.519 14.519
12 56n Chris Noah - R Rainbow City, AL Mastersbilt 14.525 14.558 14.525
13 17k Cody Kierre Beebe, AR Larry Shaw 14.631 14.671 14.631
14 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN Rocket 14.651 16.106 14.651
15 18 Tait Davenport Benton, KY Longhorn 14.776 14.655 14.655
16 38 Chase Washington Houlka, MS Barry Wright 14.751 14.656 14.656
17 14jr Shawn Knuckles Poplar Bluff, MO GRT 14.982 14.681 14.681
18 81 Jerry Buck Paragould, AR GRT 15.205 14.722 14.722
19 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS GRT 14.725 14.864 14.725
20 66 Robby Moore Brosley, MO Trak-Star 14.869 14.727 14.727
21 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 14.957 14.734 14.734
22 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN Pierce 14.738 14.761 14.738
23 17 Ronald Dunn Corinth, MS Barry Wright 14.770 14.872 14.770
24 18 Roger Witt Batesville, AR Trak-Star 15.395 14.804 14.804
25 6 Jimmy Halford Atwood, TN Trak-Star 15.736 15.476 15.476
26 3x Steve Tarry Paragould, AR GRT 15.512 15.649 15.512
27 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS Trak-Star 16.542 15.685 15.685

B-MAINS (Top 6 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN: 1. Myers; 2. Kierre; 3. Stokes; 4. Davenport; 5. Dunn; 6. Knuckles; 7. Minga; 8. Halford; 9. Blount.

2ND B-MAIN: 1. Noah (R); 2. Washington; 3. Newman; 4. Buck; 5. Witt; 6. Moore; 7. Cooper; 8. Tarry.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 5/3/14:

1. 87 Walker Arthur – 534
2. 51 Mack McCarter – 530
3. R1 Ronnie Johnson – 528
4. 19m Josh Adkins – 524
5. 18 Tait Davenport – 460
6. 56 Chris Noah (R) – 454
8. 73 Ashley Newman – 322
9. 110 Brent Barrett – 308
10. 17 Ronald Dunn – 262
11. 25 Justin McRee – 254
12. 38 Chase Washington – 252
13. 18e Chase Edge – 248
14. 19 Marcus Minga – 196
15. 53 Ray Cook – 194
16. J39 Jimmy Elliott – 192
17. 58 Mark Whitener – 182
17. 64 Jacob Grizzle – 182
19. 66 Adam Beeler – 180
20. 1 Johnny Stokes - 178

R – Denotes Rookie of the Year Candidate