Chevy Super Series
Senoia Raceway
July 20, 2015
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Smith Sails To Chevy Super Series Win at Senoia Raceway

by Roby Helm
SENOIA, GA (July 18) – Earlier in the day, Jeff Smith of Dalton, GA was looking for reasons not to go the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series race on Saturday night at Senoia Raceway, but by the end of the night, he had 3,000 reasons, as in dollars, he was glad he made the trip. Smith waited out the rain, led all 50 laps of the race, and went home with a smile.

“We were thrashing at the shop trying to get the car ready to run both races this weekend, and we didn’t get done for Penton last night, so we got up this morning and I wasn’t too enthused about coming here,” Smith said. “But as the day went on, we got more and more done on the car, and I said let’s load it up and head for Senoia. I think that’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time!”

Smith set second fast time and started the race from the outside front row. Smith put his Josh Roberts Hauling Warrior into the lead coming off the second turn on the first lap, and led all 50 to the checkered flag. Defending Chevy Super Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN challenged Smith on a couple of restarts, so Smith did have some work to do.

“I was well aware Ronnie Johnson was there on those restarts, and if there is one thing Ronnie has taught me through the years, it’s that in this type of racing, you had better not try to take it easy because he’s not going to when he’s trying to beat you, “ Smith said. “He was definitely trying to beat me on those restarts, and there was no way I was going to take it easy!”

Johnson finished second in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special, and Tyler Crowder of Lamont, FL took the third spot in the Crowder Excavating Special. Johnson and Crowder came into the race tied for the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series point lead, and Johnson left Senoia Raceway with a two-point advantage over Crowder in the battle for the $10,000 National Championship.

Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA finished fourth in the Hedman Hedders Special and Oliver Gentry of Newnan, GA was fifth in the Gentry’s Used Auto Parts Rocket. Chad Wallace of LaGrange, GA took the sixth spot in the Wallace Racing GRT and Lavon Sparks of Phenix City, AL drove the Modern Images GRT to a seventh-place finish.

Ross Martin of Talladega, AL was eighth in the Dorsett Trucking Special and Jake Knowles of Rome, GA took the ninth spot in the Coosa Heating and Cooling Rocket. Forrest Trent of Talbott, TN rounded out the Top 10 in the Service 101 Rocket.

Tony Thompson of Ohatchee, AL started 24th and finished 11th to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award driving the East Alabama Portables Special and Adam Martin of Talladega, AL finished 12th in the Seals Insurance Special and was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race Award winner.

In preliminary action, Johnson out-timed the 24-car field with a lap around Senoia Raceway in 14.406 seconds to earn the pole position for the 50-lap main event. The two ten-lap B-Main Races were won by Jadon Frame of Winchester, TN in the Poultry Electric/Pro Hardware Special and Clint Smith of Senoia, GA in the American Pie Pizzeria Rocket.

At the drop of the green flag after a 30 minute rain delay, Johnson and Jeff Smith raced side-by-side into turn one, but on the exit of turn two, Smith had the lead followed by Johnson, Crowder, Gentry and Sparks. Hunter Peacock of Dublin, GA in the Wynn Land Development Special raced into the top five by lap three.

The field raced clean and green until lap 20 when Trevor Thomson of Dallas, GA stalled the Peach State Printing Rocket on the front straightaway. Smith led the field with Johnson, Crowder, Peacock, Gentry, Sparks, Wallace, Adam Martin, Turner and Clint Smith doubled up behind him for the “Dixie-Style” double-file restart.

Johnson looked to the inside of Smith in turn one when the field went back to green flag action and pulled along aide in turn two. Smith got hooked up coming off the second turn to remain the leader. The second caution flag came out on lap 28 when Knowles cut down a right-rear tire on the front straightaway.

When the field went back to green flag racing, Clint Smith got busy on the high side of the track and came from the eighth spot to challenge Sparks for sixth. They got together coming off the fourth turn and the big one was on down the front straightaway. The wreck also collected Frame, Matt Dooley of Brooks, GA in the Scott’s Auto Machine Special, and Matt Larson of Marietta, GA in the Larson Construction GRT.

Mario Gresham of Rome, GA was also involved in the wreck, but restarted his Gresham Race Parts Special in the ninth spot. After the field went back to green, Gresham’s car did a hard right down the backstretch on lap 31 and hit the wall getting the car up on its side.

The car came back down on all four wheels, but darted to the right once again in turn three getting up on the wall and on its side. The once again landed on all four wheels, came to a stop and Gresham climbed out O.K. The restart saw Smith leading with Johnson, Crowder, Gentry, Peacock, Turner, Wallace, Sparks, Ross Martin and Trent behind him single file.

The top five shuffled up on lap 33 when Gentry jumped the cushion in turn two and lost two spots, as Peacock and Turner moved up to take over the fourth and fifth spots respectively. Turner was able to get by Peacock for the fourth spot just before the final caution flag of the race came out on lap 46 when Adam Martin spun in turn three.

During the caution period, Peacock rammed Turner, and Chevy Super Series officials parked Peacock for the rest of the race. The five-lap dash to the finish saw Smith leading Johnson, Crowder, Turner, Gentry, Wallace, Sparks, Ross Martin, Trent and Knowles.

The next two races for the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series will be a pair of East Tennessee 50-lap $3,000-to-win events at I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, TN on August 14, and at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, TN on August 15. The 411 Motor Speedway race will also be a Hoosier Race Tire Road To Dega Qualifying Race.

For more information about the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.525superseries.com.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 6 AT SENOIA RACEWAY IN SENOIA, GA ON 7/18/15:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 85 Jeff Smith Dalton, GA 50 $3,000
2. 1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $1,500
3. 6 47c Tyler Crowder Lamont, FL 50 $1,000
4. 9 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 50 $850
5. 3 03 Oliver Gentry Newman, GA 50 $750
6. 8 34 Chad Wallace LaGrange, GA 50 $700
7. 5 11 Lavon Sparks Phenix City, AL 50 $650
8. 14 47r Ross Martin Talladega, AL 50 $600
9. 13 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA 50 $550
10. 19 101 Forrest Trent Talbott, TN 50 $500
11. 24 58 Tony Thompson Ohatchee, AL 47 $475
12. 4 47a Adam Martin (R) Talladega, AL 44 $450
13. 7 12 Hunter Peacock Dublin, GA 44 $425
14. 18 21 Mario Gresham (R) Rome, GA 30 $400
15. 11 J8 Jadon Frame Winchester, TN 29 $375
16. 16 25 Matt Larson Marietta, GA 29 $350
17. 17 18 Matt Dooley (R) Brooks, GA 29 $325
18. 12 44 Clint Smith Senoia, GA 29 $300
19. 10 95 Brandon Williams (R) Crossville, TN 19 $300
20. 23 23 Trevor Thompson (R) Dallas, GA 18 $300
21. 17 1n Jordy Nipper Gray, GA 10 $300
22. 21 5x Tim Busha Boaz, AL 10 $300
23. 22 72 Frank Wilson Milton, FL 9 $300
24. 20 16 Tony Kemp Carrollton, GA 8 $300

ENTRIES: 27
FAST QUALIFIER: Johnson, 14.406 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Trevor Thompson and Tony Thompson
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: J. Smith, 1-50
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: A. Martin
GRESHAM RACE PARTS FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Gentry
CRATEINSIDER.COM SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Wallace
BEYEA HEADERS SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: Sparks
SCHAEFER’S OIL (presented by Chad Wallace) EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: R. Martin
IMAGE SCREEN PRINTING NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Knowles
AR BODIES TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Trent
SCHOENFELD HEADERS TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Trent
CAUTIONS: 4
NEXT EVENT: I-75 Raceway, Sweetwater, TN, August 14