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Roby Helm
COLUMBUS, Miss. (February 2) - Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN won the 40-lap NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Winter Classic main event on Saturday night at Columbus Speedway driving the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior. Johnson took the lead on lap two, covered the bottom groove, and went on for an emotional win, as he dedicated the victory to an injured crew member.
Johnson's crew member John Leatherwood was injured in a pit area accident earlier in the day, and was transported to a local hospital with a hand injury.
"I want to dedicate this win to John because he was working hard in the pits before the race when he got hurt, and here we are trying to celebrate, but we can't because we know he's in the hospital," Johnson said. "We're going to get loaded up and go see him at the hospital. This trophy is going to John."
About that time, a figure with his arm in a sling holding a bandaged hand appeared out of the darkness of the grandstand and came through the gate into Victory Lane. It was John Leatherwood, who had been just released from the hospital. Johnson handed him the trophy, and the celebration was on!
The only time Johnson was challenged for the lead was when the leaders were in lapped traffic, but five caution flags took that opportunity away, and Johnson beat Brian Rickman of Columbus, MS to the checkered flag by seven car lengths.
"Running 40 laps in the Super Late Model feature before this race was a big help in learning where the grooves were," Johnson said. "I knew if I could stick to the bottom groove, I could move up from the third starting spot, and that's pretty much how I got the lead early in the race."
Rickman's Rickman Trucking Mastersbilt was powered by a GM Performance 602 steel-head Crate Engine, and timed in second quick among the 49 entrants at 15.180 seconds. The $3,000 engine was quicker that the Super Late Model cars at the track with engines costing ten times more.
Jason Hiett of Lincoln, AL finished third in the N&N Motors GRT and was the Rookie of the Race. Jeff Smith of Rocky Face, GA started 15th and finished fourth to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award in the AllSouth Racing Products Rocket. Chris Tays of Corinth, MS was fifth in the Bud Coley Trucking/Circle H Concrete Rocket.
Shawn Edwards of Louisville, MS took the sixth spot in the Montgomery Farms Trak-Star, and Rick Rickman of Columbus, MS finished seventh in the Carquest Auto Parts Mastersbilt. Carlton Freeman of Eastaboga, AL was eighth in the Freeman Racing GRT, and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS drove the NeSmith Chevrolet Mastersbilt to a ninth-place finish, Ted Lackey of Munford, AL rounded out the top ten after starting 20th in the C.S. Beatty Construction Warrior powered by a GM Performance 602 steel-head Crate Engine. With his second-straight top ten finish, Lackey now leads the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point standings by ten points over Freeman.
Stokes picked up the Maximum Signs Ninth-Place Award, and Lackey earned the Old 29 Golf Carts Tenth-Place Award.
Don Farmer of Springville, AL was the fast qualifier with a lap around the ¼-mile high-banked clay oval in 15.170 seconds to earn the pole position for the main event driving the F&F Construction GRT. Farmer led the first lap followed by Brian Rickman, Johnson, Richard Stephens of Phenix City, AL in the Pass Racing GRT, and Hiett.
Johnson got the inside line on Farmer and Rickman coming off the second turn on lap two to take the lead going down the backstretch. Farmer got out of shape on lap three, and stalled his car on the front stretch to bring out the first caution flag. Johnson led Brian Rickman, Hiett, Stephens, and Rick Rickman down for the restart.
Rick Rickman got by Stephens on lap four, while Tays and Edwards also got around Stephens on lap five. John Ownbey of Cleveland, TN spun the Mowery Trucking GRT in turn two on lap six to light the yellow caution bulb for the second time. Johnson brought the field back to green trailed by Brian Rickman, Hiett, Rick Rickman, Edwards, and Tays.
While most of the drivers choose the bottom groove of the track for the restart, Mike Boland of Cuba, MS restarted in the seventh spot, and took his Strength Center Trak-Star to the outside. Boland passed Tays for sixth on lap seven, and blasted around the outside of Edwards for the fifth position on lap eight before settling back down in the bottom groove.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Turner Excavating Hicks and Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL in the McLeod Construction TNT tangled in turn two on lap 15 to bring out the third caution flag of the race. On this restart, Boland stayed low, while Rick Rickman went to the high side. Boland was able to drive underneath Rick Rickman for fourth coming off turn two.
Johnson was free of any traffic until lap 29 when he encountered the cars on the tail end of the lead lap. This enabled Brian Rickman to close in on Johnson, while Boland battled Hiett for the third spot. Boland spun in turn four on lap 30, and collected Stephens, who had to retire with heavy damage. Boland changed a flat tire, and returned to competition.
The misfortune after running in the top five earlier in the race earned Stephens the Dominator Nose Piece Hard Luck of the Race Award.
With ten laps to go, Johnson opened up a seven car-length lead on Brian Rickman after the restart. Following in third through tenth respectively were Hiett, Smith, Tays, Rick Rickman, Edwards, Freeman, Jay Blair of Angie, LA in the Boland Performance Trak-Star, and Stokes. Lap 31 saw Edwards pass Rick Rickman for sixth, and Lackey passed Blair to move into the top ten.
The final caution flag of the race was unfurled on lap 35 when Stephen Brantley of Monroeville, AL spun the Airport Sports Center Mastersbilt in turn four. Johnson was able to pull away to a six car-length advantage over Brian Rickman on the restart, and never looked back to the checkered flag.
In preliminary events, the three ten-lap Qualifying Races were won by Boland, Ownbey, and Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA in the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT.
The next three events for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL with a pair of 40-lap $2,500-to-win races on February 21 and 22, and a 50-lap $3,000-to-win event on February 23. For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 2 AT COLUMBUS SPEEDWAY IN COLUMBUS, MS ON 2/2/08:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 3 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $2,500
2. 2 68 Brian Rickman Columbus, MS 40 $1,250
3. 5 1h Jason Hiett (R) Lincoln, AL 40 $850
4. 15 00 Jeff Smith Rocky Face, GA 40 $800
5. 9 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS 40 $650
6. 7 5e Shawn Edwards Louisville, MS 40 $550
7. 6 86 Rick Rickman Columbus, MS 40 $500
8. 8 F22 Carlton Freeman Eastaboga, AL 40 $450
9. 17 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $400
10. 20 4 Ted Lackey Munford, AL 40 $375
11. 14 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA 40 $350
12. 10 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 40 $300
13. 18 M42 Josh Morrow Murphy, NC 40 $280
14. 21 04 Blake Stewart Centre, AL 40 $260
15. 16 14 Steve Godsey (R) Bedford, IN 40 $250
16. 22 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 40 $240
17. 24 66k Scott Knowles (R) Lanett, AL 40 $220
18. 1 F33 Don Farmer Springville, AL 40 $200
19. 11 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 40 $200
20. 23 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $200
21. 19 02 Stephen Brantley Monroeville, AL 40 $200
22. 13 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 37 $200
23. 4 00s Richard Stephens (R) Phenix City, AL 27 $200
24. 12 48 John Ownbey Cleveland, TN 27 $200
ENTRIES: 49
FAST QUALIFIER: Farmer, 15.170 Seconds
PROVISIONAL: Turner
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Farmer, 1; Johnson, 2-40
LAPS LED: Johnson, 39; Farmer, 1
HARD CHARGER: Smith (started 15th and finished 4th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Hiett
DOMINATOR HARD LUCK AWARD: Stephens
MAXIMUM SIGNS 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Stokes
OLD 29 GOLF CARTS 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Lackey
CAUTIONS: 5
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