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Roby Helm
TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (June 20) - Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN led wire-to-wire to become the first two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series winner this season in eight races in the Tri-State Challenge 40 Presented By Circle H Concrete Construction on Friday night at North Alabama Speedway driving the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior.
Johnson took his eighth career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win by six car lengths over the second-place finisher William Thomas of Phenix City, AL in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion.
"I love coming to Alabama to race because the fans are just so enthusiastic here," Johnson said. "I'm glad the cautions flags came out when they did because I didn't want to race in lapped traffic. Just about the time I caught the lapped cars, the caution flag came out."
North Alabama Speedway has been good to Johnson, as the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee won the last NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series race at the track in 2005 when the series was known as Crate Racin' USA.
Chris Tays of Corinth, MS finished third in the Bud Coley Trucking/Circle H Concrete Trak Star, and fourth went to Rick Rickman of Columbus, MS in the Car Quest Auto Parts Mastersbilt. Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA was fifth, taking the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place Award, in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket.
Eddie Rickman of Columbus, MS took the sixth spot in the Rickman Trucking Mastersbilt, and Ben McCreary of Baldwyn, MS drove the Waddle Trucking Mastersbilt to a seventh-place finish.
Blake Stewart of Centre, AL started 20th in the Parodi & Welch, Inc. GRT and finished eighth to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award and the Race Car Engineering Eighth-Place Award. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA was ninth in the Turner Excavating DWB to pick up the Maximum Signs Ninth-Place Award, and Todd Hurst of Lineville, AL rounded out the top ten in the Hurst Construction Warrior to earn the Old 29 Golf Carts Tenth-Place Award.
Johnson took the lead at the drop of the green flag from his outside front row starting position followed by Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL in the Hollingsworth Motorsports Mastersbilt, Thomas, and Tom Maddox of Centre, AL in the Cherokee Timber Barry Wright. Maddox would spin out of the fourth spot on lap 19 in turn four to bring out the fifth of eight caution flag.
At the halfway point, Johnson led Hollingsworth, Thomas, Tays, Rick Rickman, Ingram, Eddie Rickman, McCreary, Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL in the Meadows Racing GRT, and Stewart. Knowles cut down two tires on lap 24 sending him to the pits, which moved Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL into the tenth spot in the McLeod Construction TNT.
Boutwell sailed off the first turn on the lap 24 restart, and Turner moved up to the tenth spot. The last half of the race saw the high groove as the groove of choice for the front runners, but it was getting very close to the top of the race track.
Hollingsworth found that out the hard way on lap 25, when the second-place driver sailed off the track coming off the second turn. That earned Hollingsworth the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck of the Race Award.
The lap 25 restart saw Johnson open up an eight car-length lead over Thomas. Johnson closed in on lapped traffic with six laps to go, and Thomas closed to within three car lengths. Once Johnson cleared the lapped cars, he opened up another three car-lengths on Thomas to breeze home for the win.
Hollingsworth was the fast qualifier among the 36 entrants with a lap around the 3/8-mile clay oval in 13.971 seconds. Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS finished 15th to earn the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award.
Point leader Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA had to start 23rd with a provisional and finished 12th in the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT. Brindle now holds a 62-point lead over Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA in the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National points chase. Fields leads a log jam for the second spot, as just 10 points separate second through fifth.
Fields is now followed closely in the point standings by Tays, Jay Blair of Angie, LA, and Boutwell. Fields took a provisional, started 24th and finished 13th in the J&J Transport Mastersbilt, while Blair dropped out early in the race and finished 21st in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series now moves on to Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS for Round 9 of the 2008 season on Saturday night. Johnson's first series win of the season came at Columbus Speedway in February at the Winter Classic.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 8 AT NORTH ALABAMA SPEEDWAY IN TUSCUMBIA, AL ON 6/20/08:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $2,500
2. 3 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL 40 $1,250
3. 8 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS 40 $850
4. 7 86 Rick Rickman Columbus, MS 40 $700
5. 9 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA 40 $650
6. 4 68 Eddie Rickman Columbus, MS 40 $550
7. 5 21 Ben McCreary Baldwyn, MS 40 $500
8. 20 04 Blake Stewart Centre, AL 40 $550
9. 14 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $400
10. 21 2 Todd Hurst Lineville, AL 40 $375
11. 17 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 40 $350
12. 23 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 40 $300
13. 24 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 39 $280
14. 22 27T Danny Joe Thomas Robertsdale, AL 39 $260
15. 18 33c Eric Cooley (R) Fulton, MS 39 $250
16. 16 31 Scott Knowles (R) Lanett, AL 39 $240
17. 15 33 Justin Carter Marietta, MS 39 $220
18. 1 00 Ronnie Hollingsworth Northport, AL 24 $200
19. 13 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 23 $200
20. 6 19 Tom Maddox Centre, AL 18 $200
21. 19 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA 14 $200
22. 10 68x Brian Rickman Columbus, MS 6 $200
23. 12 212 Josh Putnam Killen, AL 3 $200
24. 11 82 Jason Sanderford Pheba, MS 2 $200
ENTRIES: 36
FAST QUALIFIER: Hollingsworth, 13.971 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Brindle and Fields
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Johnson, 1-40
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Hollingsworth
HARD CHARGER AWARD: Stewart (started 20th and finished 8th)
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Cooley
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Ingram
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Stewart
MAXIMUM SIGNS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
OLD 29 GOLF CARTS TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Hurst
CAUTIONS: 8
TIME OF THE RACE: 32 Minutes, 41.390 Seconds
QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS ENG LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 00 Ronnie Lee Hollingsworth Northport, AL Mastersbilt 604 13.971 14.481 13.971
2 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN Warrior 604 14.357 13.975 13.975
3 22T William Thomas Phenix City, AL Scorpion 604 13.983 NT 13.983
4 68 Eddie Rickman Columbus, MS Mastersbilt 602 14.110 14.046 14.046
5 21m Ben McCreary Baldwyn, MS Mastersbilt 604 14.090 14.138 14.090
6 19 Tom Maddox Centre, AL Barry Wright 604 14.114 14.483 14.114
7 86 Rick Rickman Columbus, MS Mastersbilt 604 14.124 14.326 14.124
8 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS Trak Star 604 14.145 14.272 14.145
9 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA Rocket 604 14.412 14.221 14.221
10 68x Brian Rickman Columbus, MS Mastersbilt 602 14.772 14.307 14.307
11 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL TnT 604 14.373 14.499 14.373
12 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA DWB 604 14.379 14.440 14.379
13 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA Mastersbilt 604 14.407 14.561 14.407
14 31 Scott Knowles - R Lanett, AL GRT 604 14.438 14.422 14.422
15 82 Jason Sanderford Pheba, MS Mastersbilt 604 14.800 14.427 14.427
16 12 Hunter Peacock - R Macon, GA Bullet 604 14.776 14.436 14.436
17 17 Chris O'Connor Cantonment, FL Warrior 604 14.537 14.443 14.443
18 04 Blake Stewart Centre, AL GRT 604 14.502 14.509 14.502
19 55 Greg Allen Cherokee, AL Mastersbilt 604 14.503 15.063 14.503
20 33c Eric Cooley - R Fulton, MS Mastersbilt 604 14.826 14.529 14.529
21 33 Justin Carter Marietta, MS Mastersbilt 604 15.008 14.558 14.558
22 112 Jason Warner Franklinton, LA Mastersbilt 604 14.594 14.671 14.594
23 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA Warrior 604 14.745 14.613 14.613
24 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA GRT 604 75.851 14.629 14.629
25 1h Jason Hiett - R Lincoln, AL GRT 604 14.848 14.662 14.662
26 212 Josh Putnam Killen, AL Rayburn 604 14.712 14.762 14.712
27 2 Todd Hurst Lineville, AL Warrior 604 14.740 14.842 14.740
28 91 Billy Tedford Pontotoc, MS Larry Shaw 604 15.042 14.825 14.825
29 19 Marcus Minga - R Shannon, MS Rayburn 604 14.845 15.702 14.845
30 27T Danny Joe Thomas - R Robertsdale, AL Trak Star 604 14.905 14.894 14.894
31 21 Rusty Hoge Ooltewah, TN GRT 604 15.013 14.920 14.920
32 41 Ted Lackey Munford, AL Warrior 602 15.359 14.983 14.983
33 19b Gathan Burns Piedmont, AL Mastersbilt 604 16.053 15.002 15.002
34 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS GRT 604 15.042 15.035 15.035
35 34 Chad Wallace - R LaGrange, GA GRT 604 15.200 15.317 15.200
36 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA Mastersbilt 604 NT 16.150 16.150
QUALIFYING RACES (15 Laps - Top 6 Transfer To Main Event):
1ST QUALIFYING RACE: 1. Sanderford; 2. Boutwell; 3. Carter; 4. Rainey; 5. Blair; 6. Hurst; 7. O'Connor; 8. Minga (R); 9. Hoge; 10. Burns; 11. Hiett (R); 12. Allen; 13. Wallace (R).
2ND QUALIFYING RACE: 1. Putnam; 2. Turner; 3. Knowles (R); 4. Cooley (R); 5. Stewart; 6. D. Thomas (R); 7. Tedford; 8. Brindle; 9. Warner; 10. Keeton; 11. Lackey; 12. Peacock (R); 13. Fields.
NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 6/20/08:
1. 38c Chip Brindle - 656
2. 16 Jeff Fields - 594
3. 8 Chris Tays - 592
4. 2x Jay Blair - 590
5. 58 Larry Boutwell - 584
6. 66k Scott Knowles (R) - 570
7. 10 Matthew Turner - 568
8. 12 Hunter Peacock (R) - 526
8. 41 Ted Lackey - 526
10. 1 Jason Hiett (R) - 518
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