FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2015
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Ownbey Wins NeSmith Late Model Series Nail Biter At Kentucky Lake



by Roby Helm
CALVERT CITY, KY (August 29) - John Ownbey of Cleveland, TN held off a late-race challenge from Cleveland, TN neighbor Riley Hickman during the last ten laps of the race, and drove the Auto Depot Special to his third NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win of the season on Saturday night at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway.

Ownbey led the 50-lap race three times for a total of 40 laps. Just when it looked like Ownbey had the field covered, Hickman showed up and showed out after a lap 36 restart. Hickman had incentive to win, as he was racing for a $1,000 Bonus if he could repeat Friday night’s win at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway.

As the lead duo worked through heavy lapped traffic, Hickman went between Ownbey and a lapped car to take the lead on lap 39. Next, it was Hickman’s turn to lead through a pile of lapped traffic, and Ownbey got around Hickman on lap 48, and then went on to take the $2,500 win.

“We ran a lot of the race in a mist, and then it got a little heavier in the middle of the race,” Ownbey said. “During the last caution period, we were rolling around the outside trying to keep the moisture from running down the track. When we restarted, it was a little damp where I was running on the bottom, and Riley was in the faster groove on the outside. By the time the bottom got dried out, Riley got by for the lead, but the bottom came back to me, we got some momentum, and I got back by him.”

After a fourth-place finish in Friday night’s NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series race, Ownbey admitted that he had to learn how to properly get around Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in that event.

“I’m not used to running a track this big, so I was wanting to turn into the corner about halfway down the straightaways,” Ownbey said. “We’ve never traveled much until we started going to the NeSmith races, but we’re having a lot of fun doing it, and learning new things. If we thought we were going to run this well, we might have started at the beginning of the season!”

In four starts with the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, Ownbey has three wins, one fourth-place finish, and two Fast Qualifier Awards. Four races and 392 points have blasted Ownbey into the 17th spot in the National point standings.

Hickman led the race for nine laps and finished second in the Hickman Manufacturing CVR “House Car” to make for a productive weekend. Ashley Newman of Ripley, TN drove the Greg’s Sawmill Special to a third-place finish.

Two-time and defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN was fourth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special, and after starting 14th was the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race. Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN finished fifth in the Rebel Diesel Rocket #H2 Duayne Hommel Tribute Car, and was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race.

Troy English of Calvert City, KY took the sixth spot in the JDS Poultry Special, and Jake Teague of Oliver Springs, TN was seventh in the Wade’s Body Shop Special. Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS finished eighth in the Bryson Motorsports/Cooley Transport Special.

Tait Davenport of Paducah, KY drove the Lucas Lee Motorsports Special to a ninth-place finish, and Ryan King of Seymour, TN led one lap and rounded out the top ten in the Brian King Roofing Stinger. Johnson still leads the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point standings by 90 points over King in the second spot.

In preliminary action, Ownbey was the fast qualifier among the 29 entrants with a lap around the 3/8-mile dirt oval in 15.840 seconds to earn the pole position for the main event. The two ten lap B-Main Races were won by Teague and Todd Morrow of East Ridge, TN in the A-Plus Collision Center GRT.

Ownbey and Hickman led the 24-car main event field down for the green flag to start the race, and Ownbey took the lead, while King came from his third starting spot to take second, with Hickman in third, Newman in fourth, and Henderson in fifth. Cooley got by Henderson on lap two to take over the fifth spot.

King got to the inside of Ownbey in turn four, and came off the corner to lead the race at the start finish line. Ownbey got a run on the outside coming off the second turn on lap four to retake the lead. Newman made a strong inside move on lap five to pass both Hickman and King to take over the second spot.

Ownbey began to encounter the cars on the tail end of the lead lap on the 11th tour of the race, and had an eight car-length lead on Newman. Cooley made another move towards the front of the pack on lap 12 when he passed King for the fourth spot.

By lap 15, Newman began to close on Ownbey, but the leader made the right moves at the right time to open back up a 12 car-length lead by lap 17. By the halfway point of the race on lap 25, Ownbey had a full straightaway lead on Newman.

Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS brought out the first caution flag on lap 27 when he stalled the Magnolia Auto Transport Special in turn four. That brought about the first “Dixie-Style” Double-File Restart with Ownbey leading Newman, Hickman, Cooley, King, Henderson, Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL in the Edge’s Gas Company Special, Teague, Johnson and Davenport, who were all doubled up behind the leader.

When the bulb flashed green, King sailed around the outside of Cooley for the fourth spot and brought Henderson and Johnson with him into the fifth and sixth spots respectively. Ownbey once again pulled away, and by lap 35 had opened up his biggest lead of the race with a half straightaway advantage over Newman and Hickman, who were battling each other for second.

Ownbey’s big lead didn’t last long, as Gavin Landers of Batesville, AR stalled the Crop Production Services Rocket in turn two to light up the caution light for the second time of the race on lap 37. For the restart, Ownbey had Newman and Hickman doubled up behind him. Newman chose the inside for the restart, which put Hickman to his right on the outside.

When the green flag came out, Hickman came alive. He sailed around the outside of Newman to take second, and then he was all over Ownbey like a cheap suit. Hickman stayed on the outside, and passed Ownbey for the lead on lap 39. By lap 45, Hickman had a five car-length advantage over Ownbey, and it appeared that he was on his way to the bonus money for two straight wins.

But before we thrown the checkered flag, let’s flashback to Friday night. It was late in the race, and Hickman came up to try and lap Edge. Hickman got into the back of the Edge, and then hit one of the utility tires marking the inside of the race track which bent the front bumper of his race car. Hickman had a big enough lead to ride out the last couple of laps and win the race.

O.K., flashback forward to lap 48 on Saturday night. Hickman came up on the back of Edge, who was once again running in the same groove the leader was running. Edge did nothing wrong either night, but Hickman had to find a way around him. This time, there was no big lead, as Ownbey was right on his back bumper.

Hickman chose the outside to try and get by Edge in turns three and four, and that opened the inside lane up for Ownbey. Coming off the fourth turn, Ownbey got underneath and by Hickman before he could clear Edge, and took the lead. The race wasn’t over yet because there were two laps to go, and more lapped cars to slice through.

That brings us to lap 50. The last lap, the last turn when Ownbey came up on the lapped car of Ben Garner of Greenfield, TN in the Garner Brothers Farms Special. Garner did a good job of holding his line, and the leaders had to choose how they were going to decide the outcome of the race.

Hickman in second had a big run on the outside coming off the fourth turn to the checkered flag. It looked like Ownbey might be a sitting duck if he could find a way by Garner. The track opened up just enough on the inside for Ownbey to clear Garner, and he beat Hickman to the checkered flag by .299 seconds, or less than a car-length.

The next two races for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on September 5 and 6 for a pair of 40-lap $2,000-to-win races over the Labor Day Holiday Weekend. The September 5 race will be the completion of the rained out May 24 event.

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 17 AT KENTUCKY LAKE MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN CALVERT CITY, KY ON 8/29/15:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 44 John Ownbey Cleveland, TN 50 $2,500
2. 2 1v Riley Hickman Cleveland, TN 50 $1,250
3. 5 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN 50 $850
4. 14 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $825
5. 4 H2 Matt Henderson (R) Loudon, TN 50 $775
6. 7 6 Troy English Calvert City, KY 50 $550
7. 11 117 Jake Teague Oliver Springs, TN 50 $500
8. 6 33b Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 50 $450
9. 10 18d Tait Davenport Paducah, KY 50 $400
10. 3 30 Ryan King (R) Seymour, TN 50 $500
11. 16 10 Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN 50 $350
12. 13 00 Ricky Waggoner Martin, TN 50 $300
13. 17 10c Ryan Crane (R) Panama City, FL 50 $405
14. 8 18L Brent Lewis Harrisburg, IL 50 $260
15. 9 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 49 $375
16. 23 22 Will Roland (Y) Jasper, GA 49 $240
17. 24 00g Ben Garner Greenfield, TN 49 $220
18. 19 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 48 $325
19. 21 77 Gavin Landers Batesville, AR 34 $200
20. 12 8a Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN 32 $200
21. 15 36 Evan Taylor Woodlawn, TN 29 $200
22. 20 98 Eric Hickerson Linden, TN 25 $200
23. 18 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 25 $200
24. 22 89 Credence Mott Vienna, IL 21 $200

ENTRIES: 29
FAST QUALIFIER: Ownbey, 15.840 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Roland and Garner
LEAD CHANGES: 4
LAP LEADERS: Ownbey, 1-2; King, 3; Ownbey, 4-38; Hickman, 39-47; Ownbey, 48-50
LAPS LED: Ownbey, 40; Hickman, 9; King, 1
CRUISE WITH THE CHAMPIONS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Henderson
SUNOCO YOUNG GUN OF THE RACE: Roland
BEYEA HEADERS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Johnson (started 14th and finished 4th)
INTEGRA SHOCKS FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Henderson
CRATE INSIDER.COM SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: English
GRESHAM RACE PARTS SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: Teague
IMAGE SCREEN PRINTING NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Davenport
AR BODIES TENTH-PLACE AWARD: King
CAUTIONS: 2
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .299 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 19 Minutes and 09.654 Seconds
NEXT RACE: September 5, Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, MS, 40-Laps, $2,000-to-win

QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):

POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 44 John Ownbey Cleveland, TN Longhorn 15.840 16.791 15.840
2 1v Riley Hickman Cleveland, TN CVR 16.051 15.935 15.935
3 30 Ryan King - R Seymour, TN Stinger 15.949 16.173 15.949
4 H2 Matt Henderson - R Loudon, TN Rocket 16.039 16.066 16.039
5 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN Pierce 16.144 16.058 16.058
6 33b Eric Cooley Fulton, MS Barry Wright 16.236 16.114 16.114
7 6 Troy English Calvert City, KY Barry Wright 16.191 16.405 16.191
8 18L Brent Lewis Harrisburg, IL Warrior 16.529 16.216 16.216
9 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 16.267 16.238 16.238
10 18d Tait Davenport Paducah, KY Brucebuilt 16.254 16.366 16.254
11 117 Jake Teague Oliver Springs, TN Longhorn 16.422 16.256 16.256
12 8a Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN GRT 16.707 16.277 16.277
13 00 Ricky Waggoner Martin, TN Taylormade 16.291 16.667 16.291
14 98 Eric Hickerson Linden, TN Mastersbilt 16.319 16.375 16.319
15 4 Joe Mike Mayfield, KY Killer 17.184 16.352 16.352
16 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt 16.581 16.401 16.401
17 10c Ryan Crane - R Panama City, FL Rocket 16.820 16.443 16.443
18 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS HRRC 16.467 18.920 16.467
19 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 16.510 17.101 16.510
20 89 Credence Mott Vienna, IL Barry Wright 16.929 16.656 16.656
21 69 Neal Neisler Cadiz, KY Warrior 16.662 16.768 16.662
22 2 Adam Ray Smithland, KY Barry Wright 16.680 16.923 16.680
23 00g Ben Garner Greenfield, TN Pierce 17.039 16.756 16.756
24 22 Will Roland - Y Jasper, GA Warrior 16.927 16.858 16.858
25 12 Kevin Poole Paducah, KY Longhorn 16.945 16.979 16.945
26 10 Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN Black Diamond 17.074 17.123 17.074
27 77 Gavin Landers Batesville, AR Rocket 17.111 17.299 17.111
28 6h Jimmy Halford Atwood, TN Trak-Star 17.273 17.408 17.273
29 36 Evan Taylor Woodlawn, TN PPM 16.203 16.676 DQ/LT

B-MAINS (10 Laps – Top 6 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN: 1. Teague; 2. Waggoner; 3. Taylor; 4. Crane (R); 5. Minga; 6. Landers; 7. Garner; 8. Mike; 9. Neisler; 10. Poole.

2ND B-MAIN: 1. Morrow; 2. Johnson; 3. Cooper; 4. Blount; 5. Hickerson; 6. Mott; 7. Ray; 8. Halford; 9. Roland.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 8/29/15:

1. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 1,448
2. 30 Ryan King (R) – 1,358
3. 18 Chase Edge – 1,318
4. H2 Matt Henderson (R) – 1,312
5. 10c Ryan Crane (R) – 1,218
6. 21m Cody Martin (R) – 988
7. 19 Marcus Minga – 942
8. 5d Rodgerick Dykes – 552
9. 33b Eric Cooley – 538
10. 22 Will Roland (Y) – 512
11. 14 Cale Conley – 482
12. 87 Walker Arthur – 464
13. 14c Tyler Clem (R/Y) – 438
14. 25 Justin McRee – 432
15. 8a Todd Morrow – 404
16. 121 Michael Blount – 404
17. 44 John Ownbey – 392
18. 55 Montana Dudley – 380
19. 10 Ronnie Cooper – 360
20. 4 Jeremy Faircloth – 356