|
Roby Helm
WINONA, Miss. (May 7) - Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS drove the 78 Towing and Recovery Victory Circle to his second straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring victory on Friday night in the Mid-State Nationals 40 presented by Kirk Auto Group at Central Mississippi Speedway.
The 19-year-old defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion led all 40 laps and was never challenged in route to his third series career win in a race that was a survival of the fittest, as just eight of the 24 cars that started the race were around for the checkered flag.
A hot and humid evening combined with a heavy clay surface that clogged radiators led to the majority of the field suffering overheating problems.
"That was a long, hot 40 laps of racing," Cooley said. "It was not only tough on the engines running hot, but on drivers too. I couldn't wait to get this one over with because I was really thirsty with cotton mouth. Running up front was a real advantage to surviving the race because I think my car didn't get as hot as a lot others did."
Wesley Greene of Winona, MS started 14th and finished second, a full straightaway behind Cooley at the checkered flag, in the Transport Service Center Trak-Star. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA took the third spot in the Turner Excavating DWB, and now trails Cooley by 20 points in the National standings.
Defending Central Mississippi Speedway NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Track Champion Randall Beckwith of Kilmichael, MS was fourth in the Beckwith Forestry Rocket, and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS drove the TJC Mortgage/Maximum Signs and Graphics Mastersbilt to the Race Car Engineering Fifth-Place Award.
Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS picked up the KRC Sixth-Place Award and the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race Award in the Billy Riels Racing GRT. Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS was the Joe Gibbs Driven Oil Seventh-Place Award winner in the Lamar Auto Salvage Trak-Star.
Brett Delk of Columbus, MS started 21st and finished eighth to earn the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger Award and the Race Car Engineering Eighth-Place Award in the B&D Truck Spa Trak-Star. Justin McRee of Cuba, AL was the Maximum Signs and Graphics Ninth-Place Award winner in the Century Dedicated, Inc. Trak-Star.
Kyle Berry of Portageville, MO was the KRC Tenth-Place Award winner in the Black Mountain GRT, Larry Harrod of Plains, GA drove the Harrod Logging Scorpion to the Mike's Custom Tanks 11th-Place Award, and "Chargin'" Charlie Henderson of Cottondale, AL was the Shorty's Shock Service 12th-Place Award winner in the Century Dedicated, Inc. Mastersbilt.
Cooley made it a "clean sweep" as he also out-timed the 31 entrants during qualifications with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.647 seconds to earn the pole position for the main event. Cooley took the lead at the start of the race followed by Chris Ragan of Ramer, TN in the Southeastern Ag Transport Trak-Star, Harrod, Turner, and Beckwith.
The first of five caution flags came out on lap two when Doug Sanchagrin of Florence, MS spun the Sanchagrin Racing GRT in turn two. Cooley led Ragan, Harrod, Turner, Beckwith, Chris McElhenney of Lake, MS, McRee, Stokes, Berry, and Lee down for the restart. When the field went green, Beckwith and McElhenney started a side-by-side battle for the fifth spot.
McRee moved up to make it a three-car dance for the fifth spot by lap four. McElhenney drove his G&M Trucking Trak-Star by Beckwith for the fifth position on lap six. Cooley, in the meantime began to open up a lead on Ragan, and began to lap the cars on the tail of the lead lap by the eighth lap.
McElhenney continued his charge to the front of the pack, as he passed Turner for the fourth spot with an outside move in turn one on lap nine. Cooley had opened up a half-straightaway lead on Ragan by lap 11.
Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS stalled the B&M Salvage Rocket in turn four on lap 14 to bring out the second yellow flag of the race. During the caution period, steam began to trail out the back of Ragan's car as he lined up behind Cooley for the restart, and McRee pitted with a steaming radiator. When the green came back out, Ragan slowed in turn one to bring out the caution flag.
Ragan was done for the night, having to give up the second spot. That earned Ragan the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. That brought Harrod up to the second spot behind Cooley followed by McElhenney, Turner, Beckwith, Berry, Stokes, Greene, Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, MS in the Medicaid Planning Specialists Trak-Star, and Lee.
The field went green for two more laps until the caution flag flew when Bobby Jordan of McCarley, MS stalled his Henderson Waste and Recycling Mastersbilt in turn one. During the caution period, McElhenney overheated to a stop on the backstretch, and McRee, who had worked his way back up to the ninth spot pitted again in an effort to cool off his radiator.
Cooley led Harrod, Berry, Turner, Greene, Palasini, Beckwith, Stokes, Lee, and Blount down for the restart. Palasini had been making a charge to the front of the pack after starting 18th, but pulled up on lap 18 from the sixth spot and parked his car in the infield with an overheated engine.
Lap 21 saw wholesale changes in the top five, as Greene passed Turner for the fourth spot. That became the third position, as Harrod dropped out of the second spot with a pegged water temperature gauge. Further inspection found that Harrod's radiator was clogged with helmet visor tear-offs.
That moved Berry up to the second spot, but he became the third driver running in that position to give it up, as steam began to billow from underneath his race car on lap 25, and Greene took over second-place. The final caution flag came out on lap 28 when McRee's car could go no more, and he stalled on the backstretch.
When the caution flag came out, Cooley gave up a half-lap lead over Greene. The eight remaining cars on the race track when clean and green for the final 13 laps, as Cooley was able to maintain a full-straightaway lead over Greene to the checkered flag.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series returns to Central Mississippi Speedway on Saturday night for the $2,500-to-win Mid-State Nationals 50 presented by Kirk Auto Group. Gates open at 4 p.m. with racing scheduled for 7 p.m.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 7 AT CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI SPEEDWAY IN WINONA, MS ON 5/7/10:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $2,100
2. 14 95 Wesley Greene Winona, MS 40 $1,000
3. 3 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $700
4. 6 84 Randall Beckwith Kilmichael, MS 40 $550
5. 5 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $500
6. 10 47 Shannon Lee (R) Lumberton, MS 40 $425
7. 11 121 Michael Blount (R) Sumrall, MS 40 $375
8. 21 08 Brett Delk Columbus, MS 39 $450
9. 8 25 Justin McRee Cuba, AL 27 $325
10. 9 00 Kyle Berry Portageville, MO 25 $300
11. 4 27 Larry Harrod (R) Plains, GA 21 $275
12. 23 88 Charlie Henderson (R) Cottondale, AL 20 $250
13. 12 73 Evan Ellis (R) Plantersville, MS 18 $225
14. 18 8 Mike Palasini Jr. Leland, MS 17 $200
15. 7 28 Chris McElhenney Lake, MS 15 $175
16. 2 c16 Chris Ragan Ramer, TN 13 $150
17. 15 J8 Bobby Jordan McCarley, MS 13 $140
18. 22 7 Eric Carr Bruce, MS 11 $125
19. 24 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 11 $125
20. 13 34 Doug Sanchagrin Florence, MS 10 $125
21. 20 13 Chad McCool Millport, AL 7 $125
22. 19 88j Jason Michau Kilmichael, MS 4 $125
23. 16 18 Ronny Hollingsworth Northport, AL 1 $125
24. 17 D7 Jerry Inmon Bruce, MS 1 $125
ENTRIES: 31
FAST QUALIFIER: Cooley, 14.647 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Henderson and Minga
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Cooley, 1-40
VP RACING FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Lee
GM PERFORMANCE PARTS HARD CHARGER: Delk (started 21st and finished 8th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Ragan
RACE CAR ENGINEERING FIFTH-PLACE AWARD: Stokes
KRC SIXTH-PLACE AWARD: Lee
JOE GIBBS DRIVEN OIL SEVENTH-PLACE AWARD: Blount
RACE CAR ENGINEERING EIGHTH-PLACE AWARD: Delk
MAXIMUM SIGNS NINTH-PLACE AWARD: McRee
KRC TENTH-PLACE AWARD: Berry
MIKE'S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Harrod
SHORTY'S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: Henderson
CAUTIONS: 5
|
