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Roby Helm
MCCOMB, Miss (August 2) - Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA outran the field and the weather to win a rain-shortened Cajun Summer Nationals for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series on Saturday night at Pike County Speedway. Rainey was the sixth and final leader of the race, taking the point on lap 24, and then leading until the rains came on lap 51 of the scheduled 100 lap race.
Rainey drove the Hays Family Racing/Barto Enterprises Warrior to his first win of the season, and a $10,000 top prize. The victory moved Rainey up to the fifth spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point standings.
Rainey was declared the winner of the race with 51 laps in the books after a severe thunderstorm caused a power outage at the speedway during a lap 52 caution flag, and his celebration was short lived as heavy rains drenched the speedway. Along with the six lead changes among six different drivers, the race also saw 14 caution flags, and one red flag.
William Thomas of Phenix City, AL led the race for four laps, but had to settled for second in the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion. Rick Rickman of Columbus, MS took the third spot in the Carquest Auto Parts Mastersbilt, and Jay Blair of Angie, LA, who led the race for 11 laps, finished fourth in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt.
Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL was the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place finisher and the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race driving the All-Star Graphics GRT. Chris O'Connor of Cantonment, FL finished sixth after starting 20th in the Coggin Land Services Warrior, and Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA drove the Nasworthy Mechanical Bullitt to a seventh-place finish.
Chris Tays of Corinth, MS started the Bud Coley Trucking/McLeod Construction Trak-Star in the 24th and last starting spot, raced through the field to as high as sixth, spun late in the race, and came back to finish eighth to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award and the Race Car Engineering Eighth-Place Award.
Stephens Brantley of Monroeville, AL took the Maximum Signs Ninth-Place Award in the Airport Sports Center Mastersbilt, and Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA rounded out the top ten in the J&J Transport Mastersbilt for the Old 29 Golf Carts Tenth-Place Award.
During the early laps of the race, the lead was not the place to be. Mike Boland of Cuba, AL took the lead at the drop of the green flag from his outside front row starting spot followed by polesitter Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS, Shep Lucas of McKenzie, AL, Rickman and Rainey.
Boland led the first lap, and then the left front wheel of his Strength Center Trak-Star came off, sending the leader into the first turn wall and out of the race. That gave the lead to Keeton for the restart, as he and Lucas made contact in turn two in a side-by-side battle for the lead.
Keeton led the second lap in the Boland Performance Trak-Star, and then he slowed with a cut left-rear tire to bring out the second caution flag. Then Lucas assumed the lead in the Signature Construction Trak-Star. Lucas paced the field until a lap nine caution flag when he gave up the point with a broken bird cage.
During the green flag racing between caution flags from lap three to lap eight, Thomas charged up from the fifth spot to second. Thomas assumed the lead when Lucas retired, and led Blair, Rickman, Rainey, Brantley, Knowles, and Peacock down for the green flag on the lap nine restart.
Blair stepped to the outside on lap 10, and passed Thomas for the lead, to become the fifth leader of the race.
The most spectacular incident of the race occurred on lap 15 when Jeff Fortner of Vidalia, GA flipped his Extreme Hauling Rocket in turn four to bring out the red flag. Fortner walked away uninjured and earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
After the field went back to green flag racing, Rainey was able to pass Rickman for the third spot on lap 19. Blair paced the field until a lap 21 restart, when Thomas, Rainey, and Rickman drove under Blair in turn two. Rainey then challenged Thomas on the outside on lap 23, and after side-by-side for two laps, Rainey took the lead on lap 24.
Once in the lead, Rainey was able to pull away from the field, and by lap 45 held a full straightaway lead over the rest of the field. Behind Rainey, things heated up for the second spot, as Blair got back around Rickman for the third spot, and Blair passed Thomas for second on lap 29. Thomas then got back around Blair for second on lap 49, bringing Rickman with him into the third spot.
Michael Santangelo of St. Rose, LA brought out the caution flag on lap 52 when debris from another race car landed in the cockpit of his Harahan Paint and Body Trak-Star, and he slowed on the race track. With heavy lightning popping and strong winds blowing around the speedway, the track lights went out during the caution period.
When track officials discovered it was a wide-spread power outage in the area and not a failure of the track electrical system, it was decided to call the race and make it official. Shortly after that, the bottom fell out and rain flooded the race track just as the last car cleared the racing surface and headed to the pit area.
In preliminary action on Saturday night, the two 20-lap Best Western of McComb B-Main Races were won by Landon Frith of Terry, MS in the Hogchain Racing Barry Wright, and O'Connor. Best Western of McComb Qualifying and six heat races for the event were run on the original weekend for the race on April 25.
Blair was the fast qualifier among the 53 entrants with a lap around the 3/8-mile clay oval in 17.176 seconds. The heat races were won by Keeton, Boland, Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket, Lucas, Rickman, and Rainey.
Ingram was unable to return on Saturday night for the make-up race, as he competed in a race honoring his late father, The Bill Ingram Memorial Race, at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, GA.
The next event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS on August 29-30 highlighted by a 75-lap $5,000-to-win main event. For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 13 AT PIKE COUNTY SPEEDWAY IN McCOMB, MS ON 8/2/08:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 5 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 51 $10,000
2. 7 22T William Thomas Phenix City, AL 51 $5,000
3. 4 86 Rick Rickman Columbus, MS 51 $3,000
4. 6 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA 51 $2,000
5. 9 66k Scott Knowles (R) Lanett, AL 51 $1,750
6. 20 17 Chris O'Connor Cantonment, FL 51 $1,500
7. 10 12 Hunter Peacock (R) Macon, GA 51 $1,300
8. 24 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS 51 $1,300
9. 8 02 Stephen Brantley Monroeville, AL 51 $1,100
10. 18 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 51 $1,000
11. 15 22s Jamey Smith Purvis, MS 51 $800
12. 23 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 51 $700
13. 17 4 Cliff Williams Star, MS 51 $600
14. 11 77 Michael Santangelo St. Rose, LA 50 $500
15. 19 50 Landon Frith Terry, MS 39 $450
16. 13 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 39 $440
17. 22 33c Eric Cooley (R) Fulton, MS 34 $430
18. 12 44 Rodney Wing Meridian, MS 34 $420
19. 16 35 Curt Lipsey Tickfaw, LA 23 $400
20. 1 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS 20 $400
21. 21 248 Davin Bates Roseville, LA 20 $400
22. 14 27 Jeff Fortner Vidalia, GA 13 $400
23. 3 57 Shep Lucas McKenzie, AL 8 $400
24. 2 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 1 $400
ENTRIES: 53
FAST QUALIFIER: Blair, 17.176 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Brindle and Tays
LEAD CHANGES: 6 Among 6 Drivers
LAP LEADERS: Boland, 1; Keeton, 2; Lucas, 3-8; Thomas, 9; Blair, 10-20; Thomas, 21-23; Rainey, 24-51
LAPS LED: Rainey, 28; Blair, 11; Lucas, 6; Thomas, 4; Boland, 1; Keeton, 1
HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Tays (started 24th and finished 8th)
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Knowles
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Fortner
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Knowles
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Tays
MAXIMUM SIGNS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Brantley
OLD 29 GOLF CARTS TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Fields
CAUTIONS: 14 (1 Red Flag)
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