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Roby Helm
COLUMBUS, Miss. (January 31) - Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN won the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Winter Classic on Saturday night at Columbus Speedway driving the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior. The National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee made the winning pass on lap 27 of the 40-lap race to post his third Winter Classic win in the last four years.
Johnson started ninth and worked his way up to the third spot by the eighth lap. Johnson was in contention for the lead by the halfway point, and raced side-by-side with early race leader Rick Rickman of Columbus Speedway for several laps.
The lead duo swapped the lead three times before Johnson took the lead for good on lap 27, and pulled away to a full straightaway lead at the checkered flag.
"The track was great tonight, as I could just pick my groove and race wherever I needed to," Johnson said. "After having to start ninth, I would have told you before the race I'd be good to finish fourth or fifth. I just looked for racing room and went where the car in front of me wasn't, found the passing lanes, and went to the front."
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point leader Brad Hall of Knoxville, TN ended up second in the Tazewell Speedway Rocket powered by a GM Performance Steel-Head 602 Crate Engine, after the Rickman Trucking Mastersbilt of apparent second-place finisher Rick Rickman of Columbus, MS was found to be light at the scales during the post-race weigh-in.
Hall's second-place finish follows up a win in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season opener on January 3 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Hall leads the points chase by ten points over Johnson, who used the Saturday night win to climb into the second spot.
The 2007 Winter Classic Champion Jay Blair of Angie, LA finished third in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt, and James Cline of Oxford, AL was fourth in the Coosa Heating and Cooling JC3. Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA took the Race Car Engineering fifth spot in the Hays Family Racing/Barto Enterprises Warrior.
Billy Franklin of Calera, AL finished sixth in the Franklin Enterprises Mastersbilt, and Brian Rickman of Columbus, MS started 22nd and finished seventh in the Rickman Trucking Mastersbilt to earn the Mechanix Wear Hard Charger of the Race Award. Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS took the Race Car Engineering eighth spot in the 78 Towing and Recovery Winner's Circle.
Blake Koenigsberger of Columbus, MS grabbed the Maximum Signs Ninth-Place Award in the TJC Mortgage Mastersbilt. Along with Hall, Brian Rickman and Koenigsberger put three GM Performance 602s in the top ten at the finish. Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL rounded out the top ten in the McLeod Construction Rocket.
Rick Rickman out-timed the 53-car field with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.225 seconds to earn the McLeod Construction Fast Time Award. Rickman took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Hall, two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN, Blair, and Chris O'Connor of Cantonment, FL.
The first of three caution flags came out on lap two when Hall spun in turn two. Officials ruled that Gentry spun Hall, so Hall restarted second and Gentry went to the tail of the field in the Pogue Body Shop GRT. Blair got by Hall for second on the double-file restart, and Rainey passed O'Connor's Coggin Land Service Warrior for the fourth spot.
On lap 6, Chase Washington of Houlka, MS tagged the wall coming off the fourth turn to bring out the second caution flag. Washington's Jerry Inmon Race Cars GRT was done for the night, but he earned the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award. Back under green flag racing, Johnson moved into the top five with a pass on O'Connor on lap seven.
A lap eight multi-car pile-up on the front straightaway involving O'Connor, Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA in the Gardner Excavating Rocket, Jason Hiett of Lincoln, AL in the Green Valley Speedway GRT, Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS in the B&M Salvage Mastersbilt, Boutwell, Koenigsberger, and Gentry turned the caution lamp on for the third time.
Hiett and Gentry were done for the night, and Hiett earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. Rick Rickman led Blair, Hall, Rainey, and Johnson down for the double-file restart. Hall drove around Blair for the second spot, and Johnson made a big move from fifth, passing Rainey and Blair to move up to the third spot.
At the halfway point of the race, Johnson was battling Hall side-by-side for the second spot. By lap 22, Hall and Johnson closed in on Rick Rickman, and a three-way battle for the lead brought the crowd to their feet. Johnson drove around the outside Hall for the second spot on lap 23, and then began to challenge Rick Rickman wheel-to-wheel for the lead.
Johnson nosed ahead of Rick Rickman to lead lap 25, but it was Rick Rickman reclaiming the point on lap 26. Johnson was able to take the lead for good on lap 27, and began to pull away from Rick Rickman. Hall regrouped and began to challenge Rick Rickman for the second spot by lap 34, as Johnson pulled out to a full straightaway lead that he held to the checkered flag.
In preliminary action, the four 12-lap B-Main Races were won by Jody Knowles of Tyrone, GA in the RSD Enterprises Rocket, Boutwell, Johnson, and Ingram.
The next events for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be three straight nights of racing at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL on February 19-21. The February 19 and 20 events will each be 40-lap $2,500-to-win races, and the February 21 show will feature a 50-lap $3,000-to-win main event.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 2 AT COLUMBUS SPEEDWAY IN COLUMBUS, MS ON 1/31/09:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 9 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $2,500
2. 2 47 Brad Hall Knoxville, TN 40 $1,250
3. 6 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA 40 $850
4. 13 3c James Cline Oxford, AL 40 $700
5. 5 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 40 $650
6. 16 17 Billy Franklin Calera, AL 40 $550
7. 22 90 Brian Rickman Columbus, MS 40 $500
8. 17 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $450
9. 12 52 Blake Koenigsberger Columbus, MS 40 $400
10. 8 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 40 $375
11. 10 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA 40 $350
12. 21 44 Justin McRee Woodstock, AL 40 $300
13. 19 4 Cliff Williams Star, MS 40 $280
14. 23 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 39 $360
15. 20 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 39 $250
16. 4 03 Chris O'Connor Cantonment, FL 39 $240
17. 7 66 Jody Knowles Tyrone, GA 18 $220
18. 11 1 Jason Hiett Lincoln, AL 7 $200
19. 3 11 David Gentry Lewisburg, TN 7 $200
20. 14 66k Scott Knowles Lanett, AL 5 $200
21. 15 38 Chase Washington Houlka, MS 4 ` $200
22. 18 68 Eddie Rickman Columbus, MS 1 $200
23. 24 12 Hunter Peacock Macon, GA 1 $200
24. 1 86 Rick Rickman Columbus, MS 40 $300 (DQ-LT)
ENTRIES: 53
McLEOD CONSTRUCTION FAST QUALIFIER: R. Rickman, 14.225 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Brindle and Peacock
LEAD CHANGES: 3
LAP LEADERS: R. Rickman, 1-24; Johnson, 25; R. Rickman, 26; Johnson, 27-40
LAPS LED: R. Rickman, 25; Johnson, 15
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Washington
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Hiett
MECHANIX WEAR HARD CHARGER: B. Rickman (started 22nd and finished 7th)
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Rainey
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Cooley
MAXIMUM SIGNS 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Koenigsberger
CAUTIONS: 3
TIME OF THE RACE: 31 Minutes and 46.134 Seconds
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