National Championship Racing Association
81 Speedway
August 1, 2015
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Veteran Delbert Smith Breaks NCRA Late Model Winless Drought

by David Smith Jr
PARK CITY, Kansas (August 1) - Veteran Delbert Smith ended an eight year winless streak in National Championship Racing Association of Park City, Kansas presented by Precise Racing Products/Nesmith Weekly Racing Series late model competition Saturday night at 81 Speedway in Park City as he took home the victory to become the sixth different feature winner in the six events held thus far this season.

Klima and Dan Smith started on the front row for the twenty lap feature with Dan Smith using the middle portion of the three-eighths mile clay oval to take the lead as the green flag fell. Klima was strong on the bottom and kept within a car length of the leader for the first four laps before Dan Smith would get loose in turns three and four and spun his #92s to bring out the caution. Klima done his best to avoid Smith’s spin but still made contact. No major damage was done to Klima’s #2K and he would choose the bottom of the track for the double-file restart.

Once race action resumed, Delbert Smith, who inherited second after Dan Smith’s caution, used his outside front row restarting position to take the lead entering turns one and two. Jeremy Petty, Lyle Shepard and ninth starting Dusty Leonard were the top five with Delbert Smith keeping no more than a two car lengths distance between himself and Klima.

Klima was able to make a strong run down low in turns three and four on lap eleven and would take the lead coming down the front stretch on lap twelve. His lead was short lived, however, as Delbert Smith would retake the lead heading down the back stretch.

A couple laps later the top two drivers were approaching a slower car when Klima made contact with Richard Wilson, who spun out down the backstretch.

On the final restart it was all Delbert Smith as his #92 Swartz Race Car sponsored by BSB Manufacturing/Sunoco/Pilot Logistics and Shop Quik Racing went the rest of the distance unchallenged to claim his first series victory since June of 2007.

As Delbert was unchallenged the final lap, Klima found trouble in turns one and two and done everything except roll his late model, which also collected the #55 of Kris Kratzer. This would give Leonard his first career series runner up finish while Petty, Dan Smith and newly crowned 2015 Hutchinson Grand Nationals champion Damian Patocka rounded out the five.

The next $1000 to win event for the NCRA/Nesmith Weekly Racing late model series will be this coming Saturday night, August 8, at Thunder Hill Speedway in Mayetta, Kansas.

NCRA Late Models
81 Speedway/Park City, Kansas
8/1/2015
12 Cars

1st Heat: 1) Darrick Klima (Belleville, Ks), 2) Delbert Smith (Wichita, Ks), 3) Lyle Shepard (Manhattan, Ks), 4) Chris Kratzer (Haysville, Ks), 5) Dusty Leonard (Marysville, Ks), 6) Damian Patocka (Enid, Ok)

2nd Heat: 1) Jeremy Petty (Smolan, Ks), 2) Daniel Smith (Beloit, Ks), 3) Adam Popp (Haven, Ks), 4) Wylan Petrie (Solomon, Ks), 5) Rustin Wilson (Wichita, Ks)

A Feature: 1) Delbert Smith (Wichita, Ks), 2) Dusty Leonard (Marysville, Ks), 3) Jeremy Petty (Smolan, Ks), 4) Daniel Smith (Beloit, Ks), 5) Damian Patocka (Enid, Ok), 6) Wylan Petrie (Solomon, Ks), 7) Adam Popp (Haven, Ks), 8) Darrick Klima (Belleville, Ks), 9) Chris Kratzer (Haysville, Ks), 10) Lyle Shepard (Manhattan, Ks), 11) Rustin Wilson (Wichita, Ks), 12) Justin Kinderknecht