NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
Clayhill Motorsports
July 19, 2014
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Newman Takes NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Hometown Win In No Till 50

by Roby Helm
ATWOOD, TN (July 19) -– Ashley Newman of Ripley, TN won the No Till 50 on Saturday night for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Clayhill Motorsports driving the Greg’s Sawmill Special in front of a packed hometown crowd. Newman took the lead on lap 16 and then survived a tangle with a lapped car on lap 39 to go on and win his second series career win.

Newman chased down early race leader Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN in heavy lapped traffic. Going into turn three on lap 16, Newman drove to the inside of Johnson to battle for the lead. The lead duo then drove under two lapped car running side-by-side to occupy a piece of real estate where cars four-wide could only fit three-wide.

After a lot of contact, Newman emerged with the lead, while Johnson cut down a left-front tire and began to drop back through the field. Newman then stretched out to a half straightaway lead over Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, MS by lap 30. Newman was in heavy lapped traffic by lap 35, and Palasini began to close the gap.

On lap 39, Palasini was camped out on Newman’s back bumper when they entered turn one behind the lapped car of Ronnie Cooper of McKenzie, TN. Cooper tried to get to the bottom of the track as far as he could to give the leaders room to race, but he clipped a utility tire that marks the inside of the track and spun, collecting Newman in the process.

Cooper was ticketed with the caution flag, and Newman restarted back on the point. In the 11 lap dash to the finish, Newman, with clear race track in front of him, was able to keep Palasini four to five car lengths behind him to take a .696 second margin of victory to the checkered flag and cash the $3,000 check.

“Winning here at home is big for us,” Newman said. “Our first win was the Gumbo Nationals in Greenville, MS, but this one is even better. And to race for it against a Hall of Fame driver like Ronnie Johnson makes it even more special. It was a tough race because it seemed like we were in lapped traffic all night long, and were fortunate to survive that spin with the lapped car and not get any damage.”

Palasini finished in the MP Trucking Special and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS drove the 50 laps one handed to come from the 11th starting spot to finish third in the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT. The visor on Stokes’ helmet broke on the first lap of the race and the veteran driver would have to hold one hand up to deflect flying dirt clods from the opening in the helmet and drive with the other.

Tait Davenport of Benton, KY drove the Murtco, Inc. Special to a fourth-place finish and Chris Noah of Rainbow City, AL was the Rookie of the Race with a fifth-place finish in the Old Man’s Garage Special. Brent Lewis of Harrisburg, IL took the sixth spot in the MBL Warrior and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN was seventh in the Lewis Fabrication/CSB Consultants Special.

Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS started 17th and finished eighth in the Custom Spraying, Inc. GRT, and Cooper brought the Ronnie Cooper Trucking Rocket home in the ninth spot. After hanging on for 23 laps, Johnson was able to pit and change his cut left-front tire during the lap 39 caution period and then came back to take the tenth spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special.

In preliminary action, Johnson out-qualified the 32-car field with a lap around the 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval in 15.613 seconds to earn his second Fast Time Award of the season. The two ten-lap B-Main Races were won by Stokes and Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL in the Edge’s Gas Company Special.

Johnson’s tenth-place finish now gives him a 158-point lead in quest of his second-straight $20,000 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Championship with a total of 1,344 points. Noah used his fifth-place finish to move up to the second spot in the standings with 1,186 points, and Stokes’ third-place effort moved him up to the fifth spot with 904 points.

At the start of the race, the field made it to turn three before Edge spun and triggered a multi-car tangle that necessitated a complete restart. The next attempt to start the race, saw Johnson take the lead followed by Newman, Lewis, Noah and Joe Mike of Mayfield, KY in the Mike Farms Special. Johnson set a quick pace that saw him reach the cars on the tail of the lead lap by lap seven.

The second caution flag of the race came out on lap eight when Cale Finley of Athens, AL stalled the Finley Racing Special on the backstretch. Johnson had Newman, Lewis, Noah, Mike, Palasini, Gentry, Stokes, Davenport and Cooper doubled up behind him for the restart.

The caution flag came back out on lap nine when Evan Taylor of Clarksville, TN cut down a tire on his Elite Motors Special. When the green flag came back out, Mike spun out of the fifth spot in turn one to relight the caution bulb.

On the next restart, Palasini made a big move from sixth to third, while Johnson pulled away from Newman until he reached heavy lapped traffic on lap 15. Newman pounced at the opportunity to close in, and began to look inside to challenge for the lead.

Johnson left the bottom open going into turn three on lap 16, and Newman filled the hole. Newman and Johnson raced side-by-side into turn three with two lapped cars running side-by-side to their outside. The four-wide formation would not fit into a three-wide piece of race track and contact ensued.

Newman took the lead, while Johnson fell off the pace with a cut down left-front tire. Once out front, Newman was able to open up a half-straightaway lead over Palasini, who had worked his way around Lewis for the second spot on lap 30. Newman began to encounter heavy lapped traffic by lap 35, and Palasini was able to close to within a few car-lengths by lap 37.

On lap 39, Palasini was all over Newman as they came up on Cooper, who spun in turn one trying to get out of the way of the leaders. That set up an 11-lap dash to the finish that saw two and three-wide racing among the top ten drivers and wholesale position changes.

Newman led Palasini, Lewis, Gentry, Stokes, Noah, Davenport, Barrett, and Bronson Berry of Huntingdon, TN in the Garner Brothers Farm Special down for the restart. Newman was able to pull out and keep a four to five car-length advantage over Palasini to the checkered flag, but things got busy behind the lead duo.

Stokes got by Gentry for fourth on the restart, and then Davenport got up on the wheel to move up to the third spot by lap 42. Stokes, running the top of the race track, sailed around the outside of Davenport to claim the third spot on lap 45. Noah made a big move in the closing laps to get by Lewis and Gentry to collect the fifth-place money.

The next two NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series events will take place at Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, MS on August 8 with a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race, and at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS on August 9 with a $2,500-to-win 50-lap race.

For more information and rules about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series all-new web site at www.nesmithracing.com
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 16 AT CLAYHILL MOTORSPORTS IN ATWOOD, TN ON 7/19/14:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 3 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN 50 $3,000
2. 9 8 Mike Palasini Jr. Leland, MS 50 $1,250
3. 11 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 50 $850
4. 8 18d Tait Davenport Benton, KY 50 $700
5. 4 56n Chris Noah (R) Rainbow City, AL 50 $650
6. 2 18L Brent Lewis Harrisburg, IL 50 $550
7. 6 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 50 $500
8. 17 110 Brent Barrett Cleveland, MS 50 $450
9. 15 10 Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN 50 $400
10. 1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 49 $375
11. 13 00 Bronson Berry Huntingdon, TN 49 $350
12. 21 34 Doug Sanchagrin Florence, MS 49 $300
13. 20 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 49 $280
14. 10 15 Shane Stephens Arlington, TN 49 $260
15. 18 11 Mark Stephens Arlington, TN 49 $250
16. 22 14 Brant Tirello Silver Creek, MS 49 $240
17. 23 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 48 $220
18. 12 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 38 $200
19. 24 6 Jimmy Halford Atwood, TN 34 $200
20. 5 4 Joe Mike Mayfield, KY 20 $200
21. 7 36 Evan Taylor Clarksville, TN 8 $200
22. 14 79 Billy Flannagen Jr. Tuscumbia, AL 7 $200
23. 19 18 Cale Finley Athens, AL 7 $200
24. 16 54 Richie Beasley Terry, MS 2 $200
ENTRIES: 32
FAST QUALIFIER: Johnson, 15.613 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Blount and Halford
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 1-15; Newman, 16-50
LAPS LED: Newman, 35; Johnson, 15
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Noah
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Johnson
PRC JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Sid Scarbrough
STEALTH RACING CARBURETORS 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Gentry
SCHAEFFER’S OIL 8TH-PLACE AWARD PRESENTED BY CHAD WALLACE AND HEATHER NEWSOME: Barrett
MODERN IMAGES 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Cooper
AR BODIES 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Johnson
MIKE CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Berry
SCHOENFELD HEADERS 12TH-PLACE AWARD: Sanchagrin
KINSER AIR FILTERS 13TH-PLACE AWARD: Minga
CAUTIONS: 5
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .696 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 33 Minutes and 25.520 Seconds

QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):

POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Mastersbilt 15.613 15.988 15.613
2 18L Brent Lewis Harrisburg, IL Warrior 15.881 15.626 15.626
3 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN Pierce 16.091 15.647 15.647
4 56n Chris Noah - R Rainbow City, AL Mastersbilt 16.027 15.693 15.693
5 4 Joe Mike Mayfield, KY Killer 16.136 15.753 15.753
6 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN Mastersbilt 15.773 15.985 15.773
7 36 Evan Taylor Clarksville, TN PPM 15.939 15.797 15.797
8 18d Tait Davenport Benton, KY Longhorn 15.913 15.823 15.823
9 8 Mike Palasini Jr. Leland, MS Mastersbilt 16.018 15.877 15.877
10 15s Shane Stephens Arlington, TN Victory Circle 15.914 16.054 15.914
11 110 Brent Barrett Cleveland, MS GRT 15.968 16.034 15.968
12 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL Mastersbilt 15.971 16.036 15.971
13 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS GRT 16.104 16.021 16.021
14 79 Billy Flannagen Jr. Tuscumbia, AL Killer 16.031 16.026 16.026
15 00 Bronson Berry Huntingdon, TN Pierce 16.113 16.029 16.029
16 54 Richie Beasley Terry, MS Mastersbilt 16.394 16.040 16.040
17 34 Doug Sanchagrin Florence, MS Trak-Star 16.813 16.102 16.102
18 11 Mark Stephens Arlington, TN Barry Wright 16.503 16.105 16.105
19 2T Tootie Arnold Meadville, MS GRT 16.932 16.111 16.111
20 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS Rocket 16.192 16.126 16.126
21 10 Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN Rocket 16.888 16.184 16.184
22 94 T.J. Hays Bradford, TN GRT 16.250 16.396 16.250
23 00 Ben Garner Greenfield, TN Pierce 16.332 16.267 16.267
24 14T Brent Tirello Silver Creek, MS Trak-Star 16.279 16.407 16.279
25 56r Jonathan Rowan Whiteville, TN Rocket 16.469 16.340 16.340
26 33 Sid Scarbrough Florence, MS Trak-Star 16.364 16.390 16.364
27 6 Jimmy Halford Atwood, TN Trak-Star 16.377 16.647 16.377
28 115 Cody Gentry Eads, TN GRT 16.396 16.470 16.396
29 14 Chance Inman Bruce, MS GRT 16.564 16.474 16.474
30 15 Michael Smith Crossville, TN Rocket 16.613 17.090 16.613
31 18f Cale Finley Athens, AL Pierce 16.778 NT 16.778
32 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS Trak-Star 17.407 18.170 17.407

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

1ST B-MAIN: 1. Stokes; 2. Berry; 3. Cooper; 4. Barrett; 5. Finley; 6. Sanchagrin; 7. Halford; 8. Inman; 9. Garner; 10. Rowan; 11. Arnold DNS.

2ND B-MAIN: 1. Edge; 2. Flannagen; 3. Beasley; 4. M. Stephens; 5. Minga; 6. Tirello; 7. Scarbrough; 8. Hays; 9. C. Gentry; 10. Blount; 11. Smith.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 7/19/14:

1. 5 Ronnie Johnson – 1,344
2. 56n Chris Noah (R) – 1,186
3. 51 Mack McCarter – 1,158
4. 121 Michael Blount – 912
5. 1 Johnny Stokes – 904
6. 110 Brent Barrett – 848
7. 87 Walker Arthur – 838
8. 19m Josh Adkins – 804
9. 19 Marcus Minga – 782
10. 18 Chase Edge – 748
11. J39 Jimmy Elliott – 668
12. 73 Ashley Newman – 580
13. 25 Justin McRee – 564
14. 18d Tait Davenport – 552
15. 17 Ronald Dunn – 508
16. 8a Todd Morrow – 464
17. 55 Montana Dudley (R) – 430
18. 38 Chase Washington – 348
19. 64 Jacob Anderson – 336
20. 38c Chip Brindle - 332