|
Roby Helm
JACKSON, Miss. (April 10) - Defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Eric Cooley picked up his first series win of the season on Saturday night driving the 78 Towing and Recovery Victory Circle in the Spring Nationals 50 presented by M&E Oil Services, Scarbrough Homes, and Permanent Exterior Solutions at Jackson Motor Speedway.
Cooley took the lead from Justin McRee of Cuba, FL on lap 32, and then held off a late-race challenge from Mike Boland of Cuba, AL to take his second NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series career win, and capture sole possession of first-place in the series National point standings.
"It's really an accomplishment to come here and beat Mike Boland on a track that he has been so successful at through the years," Cooley said. "He gave Justin and me the bottom groove on the lap 30 restart, and we got under him. I almost gave it back on the last lap because I got into turn three a little too hard and pushed up coming off turn four. I was looking for him on my left, but I never saw him."
Boland, who led laps 14 through 30, finished second in The Strength Center Trak-Star, and McRee, who led lap 31, took the third spot in the Century Carriers, Inc. Trak-Star. Polesitter Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS led the first 13 laps of the race, was involved in a lap 20 tangle, and came back to finish fourth in the TJC Mortgage Mastersbilt.
Larry Harrod of Plains, GA started 18th in the Harrod Logging Scorpion, and rode the high side of the track to finish fifth and earn the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger Award, the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place Award, and the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race Award.
Jay Burchfield of Columbus, MS grabbed the KRC Sixth-Place Award in the Burchfield Body Shop Mastersbilt, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA, who was tied with Cooley for the point lead coming into the race, was seventh in the Turner Excavating DWB, and took the Joe Gibbs Driven Seventh-Place Award. Cooley now leads Turner in the National standings by 14 points.
Frank Wilson of Harold, FL finished eighth in the Wilson Lumber Goliath to take the Race Car Engineering Eighth-Place Award, and Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS took the Maximum Signs and Graphics Ninth-Place Award in the Billy Riels Racing GRT. Jered Smith of Hazlehurst, MS rounded out the top ten in the Smith Racing Trak-Star and earned the KRC Tenth-Place Award.
Charlie Henderson of Cottondale, AL picked up the Mike's Custom Tanks 11th-Place Award driving the Century Carriers, Inc. Mastersbilt, and Chris McElhenney of Lake, MS won the Shorty's Shock Service 12th-Place Award in the G&M Trucking Trak-Star.
Stokes earned the pole position for the race by taking the Cliburn Performance Fast Time Award with a lap around the 3/8-mile dirt oval in 16.564 seconds. Stokes beat outside front row starter Cooley into the first turn, and McRee coming from the third starting hole drove under Cooley for the second on the opening tour of the race.
Boland got by Cooley for the third spot on lap two, and then drove by McRee for the second spot on lap three. The leaders caught the cars on the tail of the lead lap by lap 12. Stokes had Boland right on his back bumper, and when Stokes slid high in turn four on lap 13, Boland stuck the nose of his race car under the leader going down the front straightaway.
By the time the lead duo hit the first turn on lap 14, Boland had made the pass for the lead. McRee got by Stokes to take the second spot on lap 16, while Boland pulled away. Cooley spun in turn four on lap 20 to bring out the caution flag, but Cliff Williams of Star, MS in the Ware Construction Trak-Star was ticketed to the back of the pack for turning Cooley, who got his fourth spot back for the restart.
When the field went back to green flag action, Boland led McRee, Stokes, Cooley, and Kyle Berry of Portageville, MO in the Black Mountain GRT. Going into turn one on restart, Stokes got into Cooley and triggered a multi-car tangle that blocked the race track to bring out the red flag. Stokes was charged with the melee, and went to the tail of the lead lap cars for the next restart.
The next restart saw Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS in the Ellis Certified Welders Trak-Star trigger another multi-car pile-up coming off the fourth turn to the green flag that necessitated another red flag. The third lap 20 restart was a charm, especially for Smith, who was the first driver to try the outside groove, and advance from seventh to fifth.
Boland led McRee, Cooley, Berry, Smith, Lee, Burchfield, Turner, Wilson, and Shay Knight of Ethelsville, AL in the Dunn's Auto Mastersbilt at the halfway point. Knight was making a charge from the 21st starting spot, but he suddenly pulled to the infield on lap 30.
Berry had to pull up from his fourth position with a mechanical problem, and make the hard left into the infield on lap 31. That earned Berry the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck of the Race Award. A car hit one of the implement tires that mark the infield of the track in turn one, and sent it on to the racing surface on lap 31 to bring out the seventh caution flag of the race.
Just before the caution flag came out, Boland moved from the bottom groove of the track to the high side. Boland went to the high side of the track on the restart, and it cost him. McRee dove under Boland to take the lead. Boland came back to try and retake the point on lap 32, but while McRee and Boland waged war, Cooley found an inside opening, and passed them both in turn four.
Once in the lead, Cooley began to pull away, as Boland got back around McRee on lap 34 for the second spot. Stokes came back from his early race tangle to settle into the seventh spot on lap 36, and Boland started to close the gap between himself and Cooley.
With three laps to go, Brooks Strength of Jackson, MS hit the front straightaway wall with the Duncan Motorsports Rocket to bring out the eighth and final caution flag of the race. Cooley led Boland, McRee, Burchfield, Stokes, the high flying Harrod, Turner, Lee, Wilson and Smith back to the green flag for the three lap dash to the checkered flag.
Boland kept right on Cooley's heals, but could not find an opening to challenge for the lead. Stokes and Harrod got by Burchfield to take the fourth and fifth spot respectively. On the final lap of the race, Cooley slid high coming off the fourth turn with the checkered flag in sight, but Boland was not close enough to capitalize on the open inside line.
In preliminary action, the two ten-lap heat races were won by Berry and Chris Ragan of Ramer, TN in the Southeastern Ag Transport Trak-Star. After going to a back-up car after a heat race crash, Turner came from the tail of the field to win the 12-lap B-Main race.
The next two races for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be at Central Mississippi Speedway in Winona, MS with a 40-lap $2,000-to-win show on April 30, and a 50-lap $2,500-to-win event on May 1.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 6 AT JACKSON MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN JACKSON, MS ON 4/10/10:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 2 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 50 $2,600
2. 4 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 50 $1,250
3. 3 25 Justin McRee Cuba, AL 50 $850
4. 1 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 50 $800
5. 18 27 Larry Harrod (R) Plains, GA 50 $750
6. 8 25b Jay Burchfield (R) Columbus, MS 50 $550
7. 17 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 50 $500
8. 12 72 Frank Wilson (R) Harold, FL 50 $450
9. 10 47 Shannon Lee (R) Lumberton, MS 50 $400
10. 14 J88 Jered Smith Hazlehurst, MS 50 $375
11. 16 88 Charlie Henderson (R) Cottondale, AL 49 $350
12. 11 28 Chris McElhenney Lake, MS 49 $300
13. 22 F5 Lamar Furr Hollandale, MS 48 $280
14. 23 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 48 $260
15. 19 444 Brooks Strength Jackson, MS 47 $250
16. 15 33 Sid Scarbrough Florence, MS 38 $240
17. 7 4 Cliff Williams Star, MS 30 $220
18. 5 00 Kyle Berry Portageville, MO 30 $200
19. 11 121 Michael Blount (R) Sumrall, MS 30 $200
20. 21 3 Shay Knight Ethelsville, AL 29 $200
21. 20 13 Chad McCool Millport, AL 26 $200
22. 6 C16 Chris Ragan Ramer, TN 19 $200
23. 9 73 Evan Ellis (R) Plantersville, MS 19 $200
24. 24 21 Kody Barber Bogalusa, LA 7 $200
ENTRIES: 28
CLIBURN PERFORMANCE FAST QUALIFIER: Stokes, 16.564 Seconds
PROVISIONAL: Minga
LEAD CHANGES: 3
LAP LEADERS: Stokes, 1-13; Boland, 14-30; McRee, 31; Cooley, 32-50
LAPS LED: Cooley, 19; Boland, 17; Stokes, 13; McRee, 1
VP RACING FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Harrod
GM PERFORMANCE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Harrod (started 18th and finished 5th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Berry
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Harrod
KRC SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Burchfield
JOE GIBBS DRIVEN SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Wilson
MAXIMUM SIGNS AND GRAPHICS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: Lee
KRC TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Smith
MIKE'S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Henderson
SHORTY'S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: McElhenney
CAUTIONS: 8 (2 Red Flags)
MARGIN OF VICTORY: .427 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 58 Minutes and 44.347 Seconds
|
