NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release:
Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157
September 14, 2011

ELKINS CLINCHES NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES OLD MAN’S GARAGE EAST REGION TITLE

CARTERSVILLE, GA – Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL has clinched the $5,000 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region Championship. With two weeks to go in the OMG East Region season, the second-place driver, Adam Gauldin of Talladega, AL could tie Elkins, but Elkins would win the tie-breaker based on third-place finishes.

NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region Week 25 events will be held this Saturday night at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL and at New Senoia Raceway in Senoia, GA. Both tracks will also be in action for Week 26 competition on September 24. Both tracks will play a role in the outcome of the Top 10 points fund-paying spots.

Elkins currently has 793 points and Gauldin is in second with 788 points. If Gauldin wins two 50-point races, he would bring his best 14-week total to 793. That would tie Elkins for the top spot, and both drivers would have seven wins.

That would bring the tie-breaker down to second-place finishes, and going into Week 25, both Elkins and Gauldin have seven second-place finishes. If Elkins and Gauldin tie in points, wins and second-place finishes, the tie-breaker would go to third-place finishes and Elkins has two third-place finishes to Gauldin’s one third-place finish this season. That clinches the title for Elkins.

“This championship in the means the world to me and it is the highlight of my life,” Elkins said. “This has been a rough year for me personally off the track, and racing has given me something to focus on to get all of that off my mind. My goal this year was to win races. We weren’t even thinking about winning the Old Man’s Garage East Region Championship, but we’ve won seven races so far this year, and the championship has come with that.”

The championship battle between Elkins and Gauldin this season was also a family affair, as the two drivers are cousins.

“Adam and I were living a family tradition this season battling for the championship, and every week we would tell each ‘game on’ which made for some awesome competition,” Elkins said. “I hate it that Adam didn’t win the championship, but if he did, I would still be happy that we ran second to him. I think Adam will feel like he won the championship too because we raced each clean all year long and kept it in the family.”

While Gauldin was disappointed in not winning the 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region Championship, he was happy for his cousin, but said racing your cousin for the title makes you step up your effort.

“I’m happy for Jimmy, he deserves it, but I really wanted this championship bad because there’s nobody you want to beat more than family,” Gauldin said. “But if I couldn’t win it, I’m glad Jimmy did. We both have had a good season this year, and I can still win the Talladega Short Track Championship, so I’m still battling him for the next two weeks.”

The key to Elkins clinching the 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region Championship came on last Saturday night when Elkins made his first visit to New Senoia Raceway. Elkins’ home track, Talladega Short Track, was off last Saturday night, and New Senoia Raceway was having double features.

Gauldin also made the trip to New Senoia Raceway and the TST pair took on NSR regular Tod Darda of LaGrange, GA who also was contending for the title. Darda was challenging for the third spot on the final lap of the first race with Dennis Hale of LaGrange, GA when the two tangled coming off the second turn, and also collected the fifth-place car Doug Ludwig of Grantville, GA.

Elkins was running sixth, made the right move at the right time, and got by Ludwig, Darda and Hale to finish third. That third-place finish turned out to be the clincher.

“I was just riding around in the sixth spot trying to learn more about the track for the second feature and when I came off the second turn on to the backstretch during the final lap, I had a face full of Ludwig’s rear spoiler and fuel cell,” Elkins said. “I saw Darda cut hard to the left, so I snatched it hard to the right. I saw clear race track in front of me, and I just went hammer down to the checkered flag and ended up in third. I didn’t know then that it would turn out to be a $5,000 move!”

Elkins did a lot with a little to win the 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region Championship.

“I have a seven-year-old chassis that has been upside-down a couple of times and has a few cracks in the frame here and there,” Elkins said. “We don’t have any sponsors, but my family and Shorty Phillips of Shorty’s Shock Service has kept us going this year. Shorty really got our race car dialed in this season and I can’t thank him enough for his help.”

Looking at the future, Elkins said he would like to get out and run more tracks, with a possible run for the 2012 VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year title with the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Tour.

“If I can get some sponsorship help with tires, I’d like to run at other tracks and follow the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Tour next season and run for the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year,” Elkins said. “I think the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series is great for racers like me that don’t have a lot of money, but we can get our name out there by running with the series. I want to thank Old Man’s Garage for sponsoring the Weekly Racing Series East Region this season and I look forward to representing them as the Old Man’s Garage East Region Champion.”

Gauldin finished second in the first feature and Elkins finished second in the second feature. Darda recovered to finish fourth in the first feature that was won by Trey White of Jenkinsburg, GA, but that fourth-place finish took Darda out of contention for the championship

Darda won the second feature race on Saturday night at New Senoia Raceway and remains third in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region standings with 775 points. Darda still has an opportunity to finish second in the points chase. Two 50-point wins by Darda would net on a 41 and a 44 to bring his best 14-week total to 790 points.

Darda has clinched at least a third-place finish, but would finish second in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS OMG East Region standings if he takes two 50-point wins and Gauldin fails to net more than two points in the last two weeks of the season. If Gauldin and Darda tie for the second spot, Darda would win the tie-breaker, as he currently has eight wins to five wins for Gauldin.

Behind Darda, there are four drivers battling for the fourth spot in the OMG East Region standings. Ludwig is fourth in the OMG East Region standings with 753 points and two 50-point wins would net on a 43 and a 45 to bring his best 14-week total to 765 points.

Mike Combs of Odenville, AL is fifth with 752 points, and a pair of wins would net on a 44 and a 45 to bring his season total to 763 points. Brian Ponder of Talladega, AL is sixth with 745 points, and he can net on a pair 44s with two wins to bring his total to 757 points. Russ Ogletree of Phenix City, AL is seventh with 737 points, and two wins would give him 759 points after netting on a 37 and a 41.

Three drivers are battling for the eighth spot in the final 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region point standings. Ryan King of Anniston, AL is eighth in the OMG East Region standings with 715 points, and can net on two 44s to bring his season total to 727 points.

Kevin Maher of McDavid, FL is ninth with 689 points, and net on a pair of 38s with two 50-point wins to bring his season total to 713 points. White’s victory moved him up to the tenth spot with 688 points. White can challenge for the 8th spot in the OMG East Region standings with a pair of 50-point wins that would net on a pair of 41s to bring his best 14-week total to 731 points.

Three drivers outside the Top 10 of the OMG East Region standings, Maddox Mullinax of Birmingham, AL, Chris Griffin of Flomaton, AL, and the 2010 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) East Region Champion Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL, can challenge for Top 10 points-fund paying spots with a pair of 50-point wins in final two weeks of the season.

Mullinax is 11th with 682 points, and two 50-point wins would net on a pair of 41s to bring his season total to 700 points. Griffin is 12th with 675 points, and a pair of 50-point wins would net on a 35 and a 36 to bring his best 14-week point total to 704.

Edge is 18th in the OMG East Region standings with 592 points, but he can still earn full points in the last two weeks of the season. Two 50-point wins would give Edge a total of 692 points and a chance to finish in one of the Top 10 points fund-paying positions.

Results and the point standings for the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 25 action in the Old Man’s Garage East Region will be posted on Monday afternoon in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Round Up. For more information visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com.