NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
411 Motor Speedway
June 7, 2015
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Ownbey Sweeps NeSmith Late Model Weekend With 411 Win

by Roby Helm
SEYMOUR, TN (June 6) – John Ownbey of Cleveland, TN doubled down on the weekend and won the 4th Annual J.T. Kerr Memorial 40 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division on Saturday night at 411 Motor Speedway driving the Auto Depot Special. It was the second win for Ownbey in as many nights, as the also won the night before in Brasstown, NC.

Ownbey said over the weekend, that he wasn’t sure if he was going to like running with NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, as he was used to running higher horsepower super late models. Two wins and $6,000 in prize money over two nights will change one’s outlook on life.

“When I first got in this race car, I wanted more horsepower, but the more I drove it, the more I liked it,” Ownbey said. “This is a very competitive series and it’s tough to win one of these races because everyone has the same engine under the hood. It’s all about handling and set up. My crew gave me a great race car this weekend, and it practically drove itself. We all had a lot of fun this weekend, and we’ll be back this year to run some more NeSmith races.”

Ownbey is also getting to know NeSmith Late Model driver Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN very well. The two drivers battled for the lead on Friday night in the $2,000-to-win 2nd Annual Bill Hendren Memorial 40 at Tri-County Race Track in Brasstown, NC before Ownbey took the lead with an inside move with nine laps to go and went on for the $2,000 win.

It was more of the same in front of a packed house on Saturday night at 411 Motor Speedway, but this time, Ownbey wasted no time getting to the front. Ownbey came off the bottom of turn two on lap 11 to drive underneath Henderson to take to lead. Ownbey then checked out on the field to take over a five second margin of victory to the checkered flag and collect the $4,000 top prize.

Before this weekend, Ownbey had competed in seven NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series races over three seasons. He drove in four races during the 2007 season, two races in 2008, and one race in 2009.

Ownbey’s best finish before this weekend was a second in the 2007 Icebowl at the Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Ownbey’s last NeSmith Late Model appearance before this weekend was on January 4, 2009 at the Talladega Short Track Icebowl where he failed to qualify for the main event.

On Saturday night, Henderson settled for second and the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race Award in the Rebel Diesel Rocket #H2 Duayne Hommel Tribute Car. Anthony White of Clinton, TN made a last lap move to take the third spot in the Stone Plus Special. Todd Morrow of East Ridge, TN finished fourth in the A-Plus Collision Center GRT. Justin Summers of Greenback, TN was fifth in the Ultracom Offroad Stinger.

Two-time and defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN started 18th in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special and finished sixth to earn the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race Award. Johnson had to run from the tail of a B-Main race to make the show after breaking an axle on the first lap of his qualification run.

Mario Gresham of Rome, GA drove the Gresham Race Parts Special to a seventh-place finish, and Ryan King of Seymour, TN came back from a mid-race crash to finish eighth in the Brian King Roofing Stinger. Josh Henry of Newport, TN took the ninth spot in the Henry Trucking Rocket, and Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL rounded out the top ten in the Panama City Cycles Rocket.

In preliminary action, Ownbey set fast time honors among the 31 entrants as the last car on the last lap of the his qualification run he toured the 3/8-mile clay oval in 14.160 seconds to earn the pole position for the 4th Annual J.T. Memorial 40. Summers won the first of two 12-lap B-Main Races and Cory Hedgecock of Lenoir City, TN won the second B-Main in the Eagle Racing Engines Rocket.

The racing action in both the main event and the B-Mains was conducted in close quarters with contact. In the first B-Main, Adam Beeler of Knoxville, TN flipped his Mighty Muffler and Brakes CVR, and in the second B-Main, Greg Martin of Oliver Springs, TN flipped his Biff Motorsports CVR three times. Chip Vineyard builds a strong race car, as both drivers were O.K.

Henderson took the lead at the start of the race from his outside front row starting spot, with polesitter Ownbey in second followed by Nick Lyons of Centrailia, IL in the F&L Salvage Special, Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL in the Edge’s Gas Company Special, and King. Cody Martin of Christiana, TN spun the Martin Racing Warrior in turn one while running tenth to bring out the first of six caution flags.

Second-place Ownbey chose the inside for the Dixie Style Double File Restart with Lyons, Edge, King, Rusty Ballenger of Sevierville, TN in the Mighty Muffler and Brakes Special, Summers, Hedgecock, Crane, and Morrow doubled up in the Top 10. Ownbey went right to work in challenging Henderson for the lead after the green flag came back out.

Ownbey got a good bite off the bottom of turn two on lap 11 and shot underneath Henderson to take the lead. By lap 16, Ownbey was pulling away as he encountered the cars on the tail of the lead lap. He didn’t have to deal with it very long, as Ballenger stalled in turn four to light up the caution bulb for the second time.

Ownbey brought the field down for the restart with Henderson, Lyons, Edge, King, Hedgecock, Summers, Crane, Morrow and White doubled up behind him in the second through tenth spots respectively. On the restart, Edge and Hedgecock got together in turn three and Hedgecock spun to the inside and t-boned a utility tire. When Hedgecock exited the speedway, that put Johnson into the top ten.

The racing remained up close and personal after the next restart, as Lyons got by Henderson to take the second spot. King went to the outside and passed Henderson for third. On lap 18, Lyons and King were battling for the second spot when they both tried to occupy the same piece of real estate in turn three, and both spun.

This caused a chain reaction that collected the field with the exception of Ownbey, and Henderson. The entire track was blocked with crashed race cars in turn three. This carnage reshuffled the restart order with Ownbey leading Lyons, Henderson, Edge, Summers, White, Morrow, Forrest Trent of Talbott, TN in the Trent Logging Rocket, Johnson and Henry.

Henderson reclaimed the second spot on the restart with an outside move on Lyons coming off the fourth turn. Edge gave up the sixth spot on lap 19 when he stalled in turn two to bring out the fifth caution flag of the race. The restart saw Morrow get by Lyons for third, as the handling began to go away on Lyons’ car. Lyons spun in turn four on lap 21 to bring out the last caution flag.

White was the big mover in the caution-free second half of the race, as he got by Summers for fourth on the restart. By lap 25, Ownbey had opened up a half straightaway lead over Henderson. Even encountering lapped traffic on lap 30 couldn’t slow down Ownbey, as he had a full straightaway on lead on Henderson that he kept to the checkered flag.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division will be off until the July 4th Holiday Weekend when they will embark on a three-race series. The next event will be a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race on Thursday night, July 2 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Al, followed by another $2,000-to-win 40-lap race at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL

The Holiday Weekend finale will be on Saturday night, July 4 with a $2,500-to-win 50-lap race at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL that will be accompanied by the traditional EAMS Annual Fireworks Spectacular.

For more information and rules about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 11 AT 411 MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN SEYMOUR, TN ON 6/6/15:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 44 John Ownbey Cleveland, TN 40 $4,000
2. 2 H2 Matt Henderson (R) Loudon, TN 40 $1,375
3. 12 2 Anthony White Clinton, TN 40 $850
4. 11 8a Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN 40 $700
5. 7 99 Justin Summers Greenback, TN 40 $650
6. 18 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $675
7. 16 21 Mario Gresham Rome, GA 40 $500
8. 5 30 Ryan King (R) Seymour, TN 39 $575
9. 19 B00 Josh Henry Newport, TN 39 $400
10. 9 10 Ryan Crane (R) Panama City, FL 39 $500
11. 3 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 39 $475
12. 4 2x Nick Lyons Centrailia, IL 39 $300
13. 13 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 39 $405
14. 22 18 Gary Crittenden Mohawk, TN 39 $260
15. 24 22 Will Roland (Y) Jasper, GA 39 $250
16. 20 J39 Jimmy Elliott Cleveland, TN 25 $240
17. 14 101 Forrest Trent Talbott, TN 20 $220
18. 8 23 Cory Hedgecock Lenoir City, TN 16 $200
19. 17 8 Michael Richardson Cedar Bluff, AL 16 $200
20. 6 29 Rusty Ballenger Sevierville, TN 16 $200
21. 21 11 Josh Fields New Tazewell, TN 8 $200
22. 10 21m Cody Martin (R) Christiana, TN 6 $325
23. 15 12 Eric Register Elizabethton, TN 6 $200
24. 23 98 Eric Centers Corbin, KY 2 $200

ENTRIES: 31
FAST QUALIFIER: Ownbey, 14.160 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Henderson, 1-10; Ownbey, 11-40
LAPS LED: Ownbey, 30; Henderson, 10
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Henderson
BEYEA HEADERS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Johnson (started 18th and finished 6th)
SUNOCO RACE FUELS YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE AWARD: Roland
INTEGRA SHOCKS FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Summers
CRATE INSIDER.COM SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Johnson
GRESHAM RACE PARTS SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: King
IMAGE SCREEN PRINTING NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Henry
CAUTIONS: 6
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 5.050 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 37 Minutes and 24.804 Seconds
NEXT RACE: July 2, Talladega Short Track, Eastaboga, AL, 40-laps, $2,000-to-win

QUALIFYING (Top 6 Transfer To Main Event):

POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 44 John Ownbey Cleveland, TN Longhorn 14.420 14.160 14.160
2 H2 Matt Henderson - R Loudon, TN Rocket 14.297 14.177 14.177
3 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 14.436 14.242 14.242
4 2x Nick Lyons Centrailia, IL Capital 14.333 14.288 14.288
5 30 Ryan King - R Seymour, TN Stinger 14.291 14.407 14.291
6 29 Rusty Ballenger Sevierville, TN Mastersbilt 14.383 14.313 14.313
7 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 14.682 14.364 14.364
8 23 Cory Hedgecock Lenoir City, TN Rocket 14.367 14.460 14.367
9 1b Adam Beeler - R Knoxville, TN CVR 14.372 14.435 14.372
10 21m Cody Martin - R Christiana, TN Warrior 14.752 14.441 14.441
11 10 Ryan Crane - R Panama City, FL Rocket 14.484 14.537 14.484
12 2x Anthony White Clinton, TN Longhorn 15.129 14.496 14.496
13 99 Justin Summers Greenback, TN Stinger 14.646 14.543 14.543
14 101 Forrest Trent Talbott, TN Rocket 14.605 14.578 14.578
15 18 Gary Crittenden Mohawk, TN Rocket 14.633 14.616 14.616
16 24 Greg Martin Oliver Springs, TN CVR 14.788 14.617 14.617
17 07 Bradley Lewellin Seymour, TN Trak-Star 14.660 14.806 14.660
18 7 William Overbey Norris, TN Rayburn 15.060 14.751 14.751
19 12 Eric Register Elizabethton, TN Rocket 15.142 14.770 14.770
20 22 Will Roland - Y Jasper, GA Warrior 15.104 14.772 14.772
21 8a Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN GRT 15.077 14.816 14.816
22 21 Mario Gresham Rome, GA Mastersbilt 15.299 14.819 14.819
23 14 Richie Beasley Terry, MS CVR 15.395 14.889 14.889
24 11 Josh Fields New Tazewell, TN CVR 15.052 14.904 14.904
25 8 Michael Richardson Cedar Bluff, AL Warrior 15.475 14.973 14.973
26 98 Eric Centers Corbin, KY Rocket 15.249 15.019 15.019
27 10m Michael Chilton Harrodsburg, KY Victory Circle 15.102 15.088 15.088
28 58 Cody Brake New Market, TN Brake 15.307 15.260 15.260
29 B00 Josh Henry Newport, TN Rocket 15.390 15.815 15.390
30 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt NT NT NT
31 J39 Jimmy Elliott Cleveland, TN CVR NT NT NT

B-MAINS (12 Laps – Top 6 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN: 1. Summers; 2. Crane (R); 3. Morrow; 4. Minga; 5. Register; 6. Richardson; 7. Henry; 8. Chilton; 9. Crittenden; 10. Beeler (R); 11. Beasley; 12. Lewelling.

2ND B-MAIN: 1. Hedgecock; 2. C. Martin (R); 3. White; 4. Trent; 5. Gresham; 6. Johnson; 7. Elliott; 8. Fields; 9. Centers; 10. G. Martin; 11. Roland (Y); 12. Overbey; 13. Brake.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 6/6/15:

1. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 932
2. 18 Chase Edge – 860
3. 30 Ryan King (R) – 838
4. H2 Matt Henderson (R) – 768
5. 10 Ryan Crane (R) – 734
6. 21m Cody Martin (R) – 668
7. 19 Marcus Minga – 534
8. 14 Cale Conley – 462
9. 87 Walker Arthur – 464
10. 14c Tyler Clem (R/Y) – 438
11. 25 Justin McRee – 402
12. 19t William Thomas – 348
13. 5d Rodgerick Dykes – 320
14. 1 Johnny Stokes – 304
15. 2x Nick Lyons – 302
16. 55 Montana Dudley – 280
17. 33b Eric Cooley – 280
18. 58 Mark Whitener – 268
19. 4 Jeremy Faircloth – 264
19. 8a Todd Morrow - 264