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Roby Helm
COLUMBUS, Miss. (November 28) - Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN dominated the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Fall Nationals Open on Saturday night at Columbus Speedway, leading all 40-laps for his fourth win of the season, and the series-leading 12th career win in the five-year history of the series driving the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior.
Johnson was the McLeod Construction Fast Qualifier with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.703 seconds to earn the pole position for the main event. The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee led the field into turn one at the start of the race, and never looked back, outrunning two series champions in route to the win.
The 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS made up a half straightaway deficit in the closing laps to close within a few car-lengths of Johnson, who was in heavy lapped traffic. Cooley ran out of laps, and had to settle for second in the 78 Towing and Recovery Victory Circle.
"We had a good night tonight, and I'd like to thank the fans for coming out because there were a lot of other places they could have been on a holiday weekend," Johnson said. "I was a little concerned about the lapped cars at the end of the race because they were racing hard, and if they had a problem, I didn't want to be in the middle of it."
The 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA finished third in the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts Mastersbilt. Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL took the fourth spot in the All-Star Graphics Warrior, and Rodney Wing of Meridian, MS was fifth in the GM Performance Parts GRT.
The 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rookie of the Year Ben McCreary of Baldwyn, MS drove the Waddle Trucking Mastersbilt to a sixth-place finish, and the seventh spot went to Charlie Henderson of Cottondale, AL in the Century Carriers Mastersbilt. Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL finished eighth in the Millennium Mechanical Mastersbilt.
Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS took the ninth spot in the Lamar Auto Salvage Trak-Star, and Paul Walters of Valley, AL rounded out the top ten in the Gary Davis Construction GRT.
The opening lap of the race was red-flagged for a nine-car pile-up in turn one that completely blocked the race track. Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL in the Century Carriers Trak-Star, Bradley Blaylock of Winona, MS in the Blaylock Racing GRT, Mark Stokes of Steens, MS in the Kountry Kitchen Trak-Star, and Doug Sanchagrin of Florence, MS in the Permanent Exterior Solutions GRT were out of the race.
Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS in the Ellis Certified Welders Trak-Star, Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS in the Billy Riels Racing Trak-Star, Chris Tays of Corinth, MS in the Bud Coley Trucking Trak-Star, Randy Boyd of Marion, MS in the Meridian Coca Cola Trak-Star, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Turner Excavating DWB were also involved in the wreck, but were able to continue and line-up for the complete restart.
When the field went back to green flag action, Johnson took the lead from the pole position followed by Cooley, Henderson, Brindle, and Knowles. Lee spun in turn two on lap three to bring out the caution flag. Brindle challenged Henderson for the third spot on the restart, as Johnson and Cooley pulled away.
Brindle drove underneath Henderson coming off the second turn on lap four to take over the third spot, while Knowles and Wing moved up to the fourth and fifth spots respectively on lap five. Johnson caught lapped traffic on lap 14, but was able to keep a half-straightaway lead over Cooley.
Boyd spun in turn four on lap 20 to bring out the caution flag. That bunched up the field for a double-file restart with Johnson leading Cooley, Brindle, Knowles, Wing, McCreary, Henderson, Elkins, Walters, and Josh Huss of Flomaton, AL in the Charco, Inc. TNT. Knowles and Wing battled side-by-side for the fourth spot, until Knowles settled into the position on lap 22.
Johnson pulled out to a half-straightaway lead over Cooley by lap 25, but Tays brought out the caution flag on lap 28 with an overheating problem, and the field closed up again for the restart. After the field went green, Johnson pulled away again from Cooley, but with five laps to go, Johnson caught a group of four lapped cars racing side-by-side for position.
Cooley got up on the wheel and began to close the gap on Johnson, who was racing cautiously behind the lapped cars. Cooley closed to within just a few car lengths on the final lap, but Johnson held on for the $2,500 win.
In preliminary action, the three ten-lap heat races were won by Wing, Huss, and McRee. Tays won the 12-lap B-Main race. Cooley won the ten-lap NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Race of Regions.
The next event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be the Annual Awards Banquet on December 9 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Tampa, FL followed by the 100-lap $10,000-to-win 5th Annual NeSmith Chevrolet World Championship Race at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL on December 10, 11, and 12.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF FALL NATIONALS OPEN AT COLUMBUS SPEEDWAY IN COLUMBUS, MS ON 11/28/09:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $2,600
2. 2 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $1,000
3. 3 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 40 $700
4. 5 66k Scott Knowles Lanett, AL 40 $550
5. 7 1 Rodney Wing Meridian, MS 40 $500
6. 13 21 Ben McCreary Baldwyn, MS 40 $425
7. 4 88 Charlie Henderson Cottondale, AL 40 $375
8. 16 07 Jimmy Elkins Jr. Talladega, AL 40 $350
9. 15 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 40 $325
10. 6 P19 Paul Walters Valley, AL 40 $300
11. 14 73 Evan Ellis Plantersville, MS 40 $275
12. 21 118 Randy Boyd Meridian, MS 40 $250
13. 18 B97 Lee Burdett Hueytown, AL 40 $225
14. 8 25h Josh Huss Flomaton, AL 39 $200
15. 20 28 Wiley Williams Stonewall, MS 39 $175
16. 23 20 Kelly Lovorn Calhoun City, MS 38 $150
17. 19 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS 27 $140
18. 22 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 21 $125
19. 10 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 11 $125
20. 17 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 5 $125
21. 9 25 Justin McRee Woodstock, AL 0 $125
22. 11 15 Bradley Blaylock Winona, MS 0 $125
23. 12 2 Mark Stokes Steens, MS 0 $125
24. 24 34 Doug Sanchagrin Florence, MS 0 $125
ENTRIES: 33
McLEOD CONSTRUCTION FAST QUALIFIER: Johnson, 14.703 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAPS LED: Johnson, 1-40
CAUTIONS: 4 (1 Red)
TIME OF THE RACE: 32 Minutes and 18.289 Seconds
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