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Roby Helm
WARTBURG, Tenn. (July 17) - Tom Maddox of Centre, AL picked his second NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring career win on Friday night in the 40-lap main event at Wartburg Speedway driving the Burns Timber Mastersbilt. Maddox had heavy arms after the race due to his power steering going out, but he had enough strength left to carry $2,000 to the bank.
Despite the steering difficulties, Maddox made it look easy, as he was the second-quick qualifier, and led all 40 laps. Maddox said it wasn't as easy as it looked.
"My power steering went out on about the 12th lap, and the car would turn about every direction but left," Maddox said. "All I could do was hang on, and I about hit the wall one time coming off turn four when the car darted to the right, and I couldn't get it back. I just have to give all of the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for this win tonight."
Aaron Ridley of Chatsworth, GA tried to make a late-race charge to challenge Maddox for the lead in lapped traffic, but he had to settle for second in the True Temp Heating and Air Barry Wright. Point leader Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS finished third in the 78 Towing and Recovery Victory Circle.
Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN took the fourth spot in the Dixon Plumbing/Eades Farms Mastersbilt, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA was fifth in the Turner Excavating DWB to take the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place Award.
Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA started tenth and finished sixth in the Barto Enterprises/C&S Auto Electric Warrior to earn the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger of the Race Award. Josh Henry of Newport, TN was seventh in the Henry Trucking TNT, and Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL took the Race Car Engineering Eighth-Place Award in the McLeod Construction Rocket.
Chase Washington of Houlka, MS finished ninth in the Jerry Inmon Race Cars GRT to earn the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award and the Maximum Signs Ninth-Place Award. Jacob France of Mount Juliet, TN rounded out the top ten in the Rio Grande Fence Company Mastersbilt.
Just 34 points now separate the top three drivers in the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National point standings, as Cooley leads Gentry by 12 points, and Boutwell has the third spot 22 points behind Gentry. Washington and Ben McCreary of Baldwyn, MS in the Waddle Trucking Mastersbilt are tied for the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year point lead.
Hunter Best of Greenback, TN was the McLeod Construction Fast Qualifier with a lap around the ¼-mile high-banked clay oval in 12.982 seconds. That gave the 15-year-old driver the pole position for the main event in the Robin Myrick Realty Executives Warrior.
Best and Maddox raced side-by-side for the lead during the first two laps of the race. Maddox led lap one by inches, and then put a car-length on Best to lead lap two. Maddox began to pull away from Best while Ridley, Cooley and Gentry gave chase. The leaders hit lapped traffic on lap 15, and Maddox put even more distance on the field.
Best got tangled up in lapped traffic on lap 17, which opened the door for Ridley and Cooley to get by for the second and third spots respectively. The only caution flag of the race came out on lap 19 for debris in turn four. Maddox led Ridley, Cooley, Best and Gentry down for the green flag on the restart.
Gentry got by Best for the fourth spot on the restart, and Best slowed on lap 20 with damage to the left-front corner of his race car and went to the pit area. That earned Best the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
Maddox once again hit heavy lapped traffic with ten laps to go, and Ridley began to close the gap, while Gentry put the heat on Cooley for the third spot. Maddox was able to keep lapped cars between himself and Ridley in the final five laps to cruise home to the victory.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will now move to Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville, TN on Saturday night for a $2,500-to-win 50-lap main event.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 13 AT WARTBURG SPEEDWAY IN WARTBURG, TN ON 7/17/09:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 9 Tom Maddox Centre, AL 40 $2,000
2. 3 81 Aaron Ridley Chatsworth, GA 40 $1,000
3. 5 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $700
4. 6 2 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 40 $550
5. 7 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $500
6. 10 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 40 $525
7. 4 B00 Josh Henry Newport, TN 40 $375
8. 11 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 40 $350
9. 12 38 Chase Washington (R) Houlka, MS 40 $325
10. 13 9x Jacob France (R) Mount Juliet, TN 40 $300
11. 8 19x Gathan Burns Piedmont, AL 39 $275
12. 15 21 Ben McCreary (R) Baldwyn, MS 39 $250
13. 14 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 38 $225
14. 9 64 Jacob Anderson Murphy, NC 38 $200
15. 1 007 Hunter Best Greenback, TN 19 $275
ENTRIES: 15
McLEOD CONSTRUCTION FAST QUALIFIER: Best, 12.982 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: Maddox, 1-40
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Washington
GM PERFORMANCE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Rainey (started 10th and finished 6th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Best
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Boutwell
MAXIMUM SIGNS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Washington
CAUTIONS: 1
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