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Roby Helm
COLUMBUS, Miss. (January 23) - William Thomas of Phenix City, AL took the lead on lap 35 and went on to win the 40-lap NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring season opener on Saturday night at Columbus Speedway driving the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion. The victory was the fourth series career win for the third-generation driver.
Thomas started on the outside of the front row and battled for most of the event with early race leader polesitter Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN in the Miller Brothers Coal Warrior. Johnson held the bottom groove of the ¼-mile clay oval to keep the point for the first 34 laps of the race, while Thomas cruised the high side.
A lap 34 restart saw Thomas get a run on Johnson, and lead pair raced side-by-side for a lap until Thomas took the lead going down the backstretch on lap 35. Once at the head of the field, Thomas was able to drive on to the win.
"I went a little soft on tires tonight, and I thought I had worn it out by the halfway point," Thomas said. "I dropped back to the third spot, but the caution flags we had in the second half of the race cooled off my right-rear tire and brought it back to life."
Johnson had to settle for second in his quest for his second-straight, and fourth Winter Classic win with the series at Columbus Speedway. Even with a runner-up finish, the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee was still upbeat after the race.
"We've won a lot of Winter Classics here at Columbus Speedway, and we won here last November, but we got outrun tonight and finished second," Johnson said. "William drove a good clean race, so finishing second isn't the end of the world, and it was still a good night."
Justin McRee of Cuba, AL took the third spot in the Century Carriers Trak-Star, and Chris Ragan of Ramer, TN finished fourth in the Southeastern Ag Transport Trak-Star. The defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS took the Racecar Engineering Fifth-Place Award in the 78 Towing and Recovery Victory Circle.
Dan Breuer of Troutman, NC drove the AES, Inc. Barry Wright to the KRC Sixth-Place Award, and Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL was seventh in the Tommy Pope Construction Warrior. Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, MS started 17th and finished eighth in the Medicaid Planning Specialist Trak-Star to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award and the Racecar Engineering Eighth-Place Award.
Nick Lyons of Centrailia, IL picked up the Maximum Sign Ninth-Place Award in the Marv's Race Place Nightmover, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA competed in his 87th consecutive NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National event, and took home the KRC Tenth-Place Award in the Turner Excavating DWB.
Johnson was the Fast Qualifier of the Race by out-timing the 38 entrants with a lap in 14.469 seconds. Pete Cochran of Villa Rica, GA finished 15th in the CT Transport Rocket and captured the Rookie of the Race Award.
At the start of the race, Johnson took the lead from the pole position followed by Thomas, Cooley, Brian Smith of Cedar Bluff, AL in the Patriot Performance JC-3, and McRee. Jamie Elam of Senatobia, MS brought out the first of six caution flag on lap 10 when he spun the Frank Millington Racing GRT down the backstretch.
Johnson led the double file restart back to the green flag followed by Thomas, Cooley, and McRee. Cooley got hung out to dry on the restart, and dropped back to the ninth spot, while Smith charged up to the third. Johnson began lapping cars on lap 20, and by lap 26 had put three lapped cars between himself and Thomas.
McRee passed Smith for the third spot in lapped traffic, and quickly closed in on Thomas to battle for the second position on lap 27. McRee drove by Thomas for second on lap 28, and then began to look for Johnson, who was a half a straightaway in front of him. Cochran hit the backstretch wall on lap 30 to bring out the caution flag.
Johnson led McRee, Thomas, Smith, Wilson, and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS in the TJC Mortgage Mastersbilt down for the double-file restart. When the field went green, Smith and Stokes tangled on the front stretch to relight the caution bulb. Stokes was able to continue, but Smith was out for the evening and earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
When the field went back to green, Thomas passed McRee for the second spot, and Ragan advanced from seventh to fifth. Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS in the Ellis Certified Welders Trak-Star and Chris O'Connor of Cantonment, FL in the Dean's Solid Surfacing Warrior tangled in turn two to bring out a caution flag on lap 34.
Up to this point in the race, Johnson worked the bottom of the track while Thomas rode the high side. Thomas seemed to keep gaining on Johnson, but couldn't quite gain enough momentum to grab the point, as the leader would slide up in front of him coming off the corners.
On the restart, Johnson held Thomas off for another lap, but coming off the fourth turn on lap 35, Thomas got along side Johnson and made the winning pass for the lead going down the backstretch.
In other preliminary action, the two 15-lap B-Main races were won by Lyons, and Breuer. The next event for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be the two-day $4,000-to-win Winter Bash at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS on February 12-13.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 1 AT COLUMBUS SPEEDWAY IN COLUMBUS, MS ON 1/23/10:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 22T William Thomas Phenix City, AL 40 $2,500
2. 1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $1,000
3. 5 25 Justin McRee Cuba, AL 40 $700
4. 9 c16 Chris Ragan Ramer, TN 40 $550
5. 4 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $600
6. 8 17c Dan Breuer Troutman, NC 40 $425
7. 11 22 Jason Wilson Margaret, AL 40 $375
8. 17 8 Mike Palasini Jr. Leland, MS 40 $450
9. 7 10b Nick Lyons Centrailia, IL 40 $325
10. 18 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $300
11. 14 B69 Bryan Bernhardt Clearwater, FL 40 $275
12. 6 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $250
13. 16 14m Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 40 $225
14. 15 73 Evan Ellis Plantersville, MS 40 $200
15. 19 14 Pete Cochran (R) Villa Rica, GA 40 $175
16. 21 17 Chris O'Connor Cantonment, FL 40 $150
17. 24 28 Chris McElhenney Lake, MS 39 $140
18. 22 32 Troy Dixon Temple, GA 39 $125
19. 23 47 Shannon Lee (R) Lumberton, MS 39 $125
20. 20 25b Jay Burchfield Columbus, MS 36 $125
21. 13 88 Charlie Henderson (R) Cottondale, AL 30 $125
22. 3 17s Brian Smith Cedar Bluff, AL 29 $125
23. 10 18 Ross Camponovo (R) Clarksdale, MS 24 $125
24. 12 1x Jamie Elam Senatobia, MS 9 $125
ENTRIES: 38
FAST QUALIFIER: Johnson, 14.469 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 1-34; Thomas, 35-40
LAPS LED: Johnson, 34; Thomas, 6
HARD CHARGER OF THE RACE: Palasini (started 17th and finished 8th)
ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Cochran
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Smith
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Cooley
KRC SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Breuer
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Palasini
MAXIMUM SIGNS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Lyons
KRC TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
CAUTIONS: 6
TIME OF THE RACE: 31 Minutes and 11.237 Seconds
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