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Roby Helm
SLIDELL, La. (May 10) - Jay Blair of Angie, LA picked up his first NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win of the season on Saturday at his home track, A1 Raceway, in the 50-lap main event driving the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt. The victory was Blair's first top ten finish in the first six events of the 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour season.
After starting eighth, Blair charged through the field to pass Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA for the lead on lap 18, and then led the remaining 33 laps of the race that was marred by 18 caution flags, and took almost an hour and a half to complete.
After being passed for the lead, Brindle dropped back to the fourth spot by lap 20, but came back late in the race to rally and finish second driving the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT. Brindle moved back on top of the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National point standings with his runner-up finish and a 14-point lead over Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA.
Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS took the third spot in the Boland Performance Trak Star. Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL finished fourth in the All Star Graphics GRT to earn the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award. Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA made a last lap pass to claim the fifth position in the Hays Family Racing/Barto Enterprises Warrior.
Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year candidate Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA had an up and down night, but salvaged a sixth-place finish in the Nasworthy Mechanical Bullitt. Peacock took his second Pole Award of the season by out qualifying the 32 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.765 seconds.
Peacock led the first six laps of the race, and fell back to the fourth spot. Peacock spun on a lap 15 restart, and had to restart on the tail of the field. Peacock raced his way back to the fifth spot, and was passed by Rainey for the position at the checkered flag.
Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL was seventh in the McLeod Construction TNT, and Tootie Arnold of Meadville, MS came back from a lap six spin and finished eighth in the Harahan Paint and Body GRT. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA took the ninth spot in the Turner Excavating DWB, and Jason Hiett of Lincoln, AL rounded out the top ten in the N&N Motors GRT.
Peacock took the lead from his inside front row starting spot at the drop of the green flag followed by Boutwell, Brindle, Chris Tays of Corinth, MS in the Bud Coley Trucking Trak Star, and Keeton. Brindle passed Boutwell to move up to second on lap three, and then made an inside pass on Peacock on lap seven in turn three to take the lead.
Keeton passed Peacock for second on lap eight, and Blair came from the eighth starting spot to move past Peacock and take the third position on lap 10. Blair's march to the point continued on a lap 14 restart, when he got under Keeton for second. On a lap 15 restart, Blair drove under Brindle to take the lead, but Peacock spun running fourth to negate the pass for the lead.
Blair continued his pursuit of Brindle on the next restart, and the top two cars raced hard for the next three laps until Blair sealed the deal on lap 18. Brindle pushed up the banking in turn two after a lap 19 restart, letting Keeton and Knowles by for second and third respectively.
There were wholesale position changes in the last ten laps of the race with six caution flags. The running order for the lap 40 restart had Blair leading Keeton, Brindle, Knowles, Tays, Peacock, Rainey, Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS in the Tiffin Motorhomes Mastersbilt, Boutwell and Frank Ingram, who took a provisional and started 23rd in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.
When the field went green, Knowles put the pressure on Brindle for third, and Peacock got by Tays for the fifth spot. Tays cut down a right-front tire in turn two on lap 44 to bring out the caution flag. Ingram's run to the front ended on lap 46 when his car broke while he was running eighth. That earned Ingram the Dominator Hard Luck Award.
Brindle took the second spot away from Keeton on lap 48, but could not catch Blair, who took a popular hometown win, and moved into a tie for the fourth spot in the points chase with Tays.
Jamey Smith started 22nd and finished 13th to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award, and the preliminary 15-lap Qualifying Races were won by Jason Warner of Franklinton, LA in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt, and Ted Lackey of Munford, AL in the C.S. Beatty Construction Warrior.
The next two events for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be over the Memorial Day weekend. The first stop will be at Swainsboro Raceway in Swainsboro, GA on May 23, and then on to Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, GA on May 24.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 6 AT A1 RACEWAY IN SLIDELL, LA ON 5/10/08:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 8 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA 50 $3,000
2. 3 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 50 $1,500
3. 5 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS 50 $1,250
4. 7 66k Scott Knowles (R) Lanett, AL 50 $1,100
5. 9 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 50 $1,000
6. 1 12 Hunter Peacock (R) Macon, GA 50 $850
7. 2 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 50 $750
8. 15 2T Tootie Arnold Meadville, MS 50 $700
9. 14 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 50 $650
10. 13 1h Jason Hiett (R) Lincoln, AL 50 $600
11. 4 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS 50 $550
12. 20 V8 Kerry Vicknair Denham Springs, LA 50 $500
13. 22 22s Jamey Smith (R) Purvis, MS 50 $550
14. 6 33c Eric Cooley (R) Fulton, MS 50 $400
15. 18 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 49 $350
16. 10 77 Michael Santangelo St. Rose, LA 48 $300
17. 23 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA 45 $280
18. 12 41 Ted Lackey Munford, AL 21 $250
19. 16 91 Donald Watson Greenwell Springs, LA 21 $250
20. 24 k18 Kaleb Killens Poplarville, MS 20 $250
21. 21 34 Chad Wallace (R) LaGrange, GA 20 $250
22. 19 E10 Tyler Pitts Sun, LA 19 $250
23. 25 27T Danny Joe Thomas Robertsdale, AL 18 $250
24. 17 19 Marcus Minga (R) Shannon, MS 12 $250
25. 11 112 Jason Warner Franklinton, LA 6 $250
ENTRIES: 32
FAST QUALIFIER: Peacock, 14.765 Seconds
PROVISIONAL: Ingram
TRACK PROVISIONAL: Thomas
LEAD CHANGES: 2
LAP LEADERS: Peacock, 1-6; Brindle, 7-17; Blair, 18-50
LAPS LED: Blair, 33; Brindle, 11; Peacock, 6
HARD CHARGER AWARD: Smith (started 22nd and finished 13th)
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Knowles
DOMINATOR HARD LUCK AWARD: Ingram
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Rainey
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Arnold
MAXIMUM SIGNS 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
OLD 29 GOLF CARTS 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Hiett
CAUTIONS: 18
TIME OF THE RACE: 1 Hour, 27 Minutes, 41 Seconds
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