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Roby Helm
GREENVILLE, Miss. (April 9) - Mike Boland of Cuba, MS just got through a last lap crash to pick up his seventh NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series career win on Friday night in the Wilkerson Diesel and Tire Service "Rumble On The Gumbo" 40 at Greenville Speedway driving The Strength Center Trak-Star.
As Boland entered the first turn after taking the white flag, the lapped cars of Jay Burchfield of Columbus, MS and Frank Wilson of Harold, FL tangled as Boland was on their inside. Boland just got through and went on to take the checkered flag with a 4.298 second advantage.
"I've got to thank the Good Lord for getting me through that wreck on the last lap," Boland said. "I would have really hated to lose the race that way, but He was watching over me."
The defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS finished second in the 78 Towing and Recovery Victory Circle. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA charged from the 18th starting spot to finish third in the Turner Excavating DWB. Turner and Cooley now share the point lead with each driver totaling 436 points.
Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS took the fourth spot in the TJC Mortgage Mastersbilt, and Chris McElhenney of Lake, MS started 22nd and finished fifth to earn the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger Award and the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place Award driving the G&M Trucking Trak-Star.
Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS finished sixth and was the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race and the KRC Sixth-Place Award winner in the Lamar Auto Salvage Trak-Star. Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS drove the Billy Riels Racing GRT to the Joe Gibbs Driven Seventh-Place Award.
Burchfield was able to come around to claim the Race Car Engineering Eighth-Place Award in the Burchfield's Body Shop Barry Wright, and Wilson was credited with the ninth spot and the Maximum Signs and Graphics Ninth-Place Award in the Wilson Lumber Goliath. Robert Smith of Leland, MS rounded out the top ten in the Brown's Salvage Mastersbilt for the KRC Tenth-Place Award.
Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS picked up the Mike's Custom Tanks 11th-Place Award in the Billy Riels Racing GRT, and Terry Shaw of Greenville, MS was the Shorty's Shock Service 12th-Place Award winner in the Washington Body Shop Bullett.
The race was caution-filled with the yellow flag flying 12 times for spins and debris with two red flags. Polesitter Justin McRee of Cuba, AL led the field down for the green flag in the Century Carriers, Inc. Trak-Star, and led the first two laps before Boland took the lead on lap three coming from the third starting spot. Boland led the rest of the way, and was never challenged for the point.
The most serious incident took place on lap 27 with a multi-car tangle in turn three that completely blocked the track to bring out the red flag, and involved several cars running from fifth on back.
Cliff Williams of Star, MS was running fifth in the Ware Construction Trak-Star when he was hit from behind to trigger the crash. The tangle took Williams out of the race and earned him the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
In preliminary action, McRee was the fast qualifier among the 36 entrants with a lap around the quarter-mile clay gumbo oval in 14.838 Seconds. The three ten-lap heat races were won by Brooks Strength of Jackson, MS in the Duncan Motorsports Rocket, Burchfield, and Lee. Wilson won the 12-lap B-Main race.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will compete Round 6 of the 2010 season on Saturday night with a 50-lap $2,500-to-win event at Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, MS.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 5 AT GREENVILLE SPEEDWAY IN GREENVILLE, MS ON 4/9/10:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 3 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 40 $2,000
2. 4 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $1,100
3. 18 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $700
4. 2 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $550
5. 22 28 Chris McElhenney Lake, MS 40 $600
6. 12 121 Michael Blount (R) Sumrall, MS 40 $425
7. 13 947 Michael Arnold Hattiesburg, MS 40 $375
8. 8 25b Jay Burchfield (R) Columbus, MS 39 $350
9. 20 72 Frank Wilson (R) Harold, FL 38 $325
10. 21 8kv Robert Smith Leland, MS 38 $300
11. 10 47 Shannon Lee (R) Lumberton, MS 37 $275
12. 17 T8 Terry Shaw Greenville, MS 37 $250
13. 16 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 37 $225
14. 6 88 Charlie Henderson (R) Cottondale, AL 35 $200
15. 5 4 Cliff Williams Star, MS 27 $200
16. 12 24 Mark Tice (R) Avon, MS 27 $200
17. 15 73 Evan Ellis (R) Plantersville, MS 27 $200
18. 23 56 Bubba Harrison Merigold, MS 27 $200
19. 20 8 Mike Palasini Jr. Leland, MS 25 $200
20. 10 3 Shay Knight Ethelsville, MS 25 $200
21. 1 25 Justin McRee Cuba, AL 20 $200
22. 14 27 Larry Harrod (R) Plains, GA 20 $200
23. 7 444 Brooks Strength Jackson, MS 10 $200
24. 24 21 Kody Barber Bogalusa, LA 4 $200
ENTRIES: 36
FAST QUALIFIER: McRee, 14.838 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: McRee, 1-2; Boland, 3-40
LAPS LED: Boland, 38; McRee, 2
VP RACING FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Blount
GM PERFORMANCE PARTS HARD CHARGER: McElhenney (started 22nd and finished 5th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Williams
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: McElhenney
KRC SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Blount
JOE GIBBS DRIVEN SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: Arnold
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Burchfield
MAXIMUM SIGNS AND GRAPHICS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Wilson
KRC TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Smith
MIKE'S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Lee
SHORTY'S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: Shaw
CAUTION FLAGS: 12 (2 Red Flags)
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 4.298 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 1 Hour, 11 Minutes, and 21.258 Seconds
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