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Roby Helm
COLUMBUS, Miss. (September 5) - Mike Boland of Cuba, AL started tenth, took the lead on lap 27, and went on to win the GM Performance Parts Black Ice 40 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour on Sunday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway. The win was Boland's fourth of the season driving the Strength Center Trak-Star, and tenth of his series career.
Jeremy Shaw of Millport, AL started on the pole after out-qualifying the 52 entrants with a lap in 14.753 seconds, and led the first 26 laps driving the Summit Resource Development Trak-Star. When Boland caught Shaw, they waged a side-by-side battle for the lead, before Boland took the point.
Shaw tried to come back on the high side late in the race, but Boland was up to the challenge. In the closing laps, Boland was able to pull away and win with a 1.394 second margin of victory over Shaw.
"I couldn't have come from tenth to first tonight if it wasn't for my car owner Walter Ware, my crew chief Mark Ware, and my crew," Boland said. "I wasn't very happy with the way my car handled in hot laps or qualifying, but they went to work and gave me what I needed to win this race."
With his charge from tenth to first, Boland also picked up the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger of the Race Award to go with his $2,000 victory.
The 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA finished third in the Bryson Motorsports Mastersbilt, and the defending NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Champion and current point leader Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS finished fourth in the 78 Towing and Recovery/Bryson Motorsports Victory Circle.
Larry Harrod of Plains, GA took the fifth spot in the Harrod Logging Scorpion and was the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race. Jamie Tollison of Kosciusko, MS was sixth in the Tollison's Auto Repair Trak Star.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA finished seventh in the Turner Excavating DWB and Rodney Wing of Meridian, MS drove the NOS Energy Drink Trak-Star to the eighth spot. Justin McRee of Tuscaloosa, AL finished ninth in the Century Dedicated, Inc. Trak-Star and Mark Tice of Avon, MS rounded out the top ten in the Precision Marine Trak-Star.
Boland not only had a good night as a driver, but also as a race car builder. Trak-Star Race Cars built by Boland Performance of Cuba, AL took six of the top ten spots in the GM Performance Parts Black Ice 40.
Before the field took the green flag, the 24-car starting field lined up and circled the track in the Missing Man formation, leaving the inside front row pole position starting spot open in a moving tribute to the late Perry Holman, who had announced many special events through the years at Magnolia Motor Speedway.
Shaw took the lead at the start of the race followed by Shay Knight of Ethelsville, MS in the Dunn's Autos Mastersbilt, Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS in the TJC Mortgage/Maximum Signs and Graphics Mastersbilt, Harrod and Tice. Harrod move up to the third spot by passing Stokes on lap two.
Harrod then drove by Knight for second on lap six, but by that time, Shaw had already opened up a full straightaway lead. At the ten lap mark it was Shaw leading Harrod, Stokes, Boland, Turner, Brindle, Cooley, Knight, Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL in the Clarence's Truck Repair GRT, and Wing.
Shaw reached the cars on the tail of the lead lap by lap 14, and Boland got by Stokes to take over the third spot. The first of two caution flags came out on lap 15 for debris in turn one. Shaw led Harrod, Boland, Stokes, Brindle, Turner, Cooley, McRee, Knight and Wing down for the double-file restart.
On lap 15, Boland drove by Harrod on the outside in turn one to take over the second spot. Boland caught Shaw on lap 16, and the top two cars raced side-by-side for the next five laps. Boland tucked back behind Shaw on lap 21. Cooley was on the move, as he passed Harrod for the third spot on lap 23.
Boland took another shot for the lead on lap 25, as Shaw began to work lapped traffic. Boland was working the bottom groove, and got under Shaw coming off the fourth turn on lap 27 to take the lead. Boland knifed his way through lapped traffic and was beginning to pull away from Shaw.
The field was slowed for the second time on lap 33 when the caution flag came out for Stokes, who had cut down a left-front tire. That misfortune earned Stokes the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. Boland led Shaw, Cooley, Brindle, Harrod, Turner, Tollison, McRee, Wing and Tice down for the eight-lap dash to the finish.
Boland ran the inside groove, while Shaw drove up on the outside cushion just inches from the wall in the closing laps. Shaw was getting a good run off the high side of turn two, and could get close to Boland going down the backstretch. Boland was strong coming off the fourth turn, and could pull Shaw two car-lengths down the front straightaway.
This battle went on until lap 37 when Boland began to pull away. Brindle passed Cooley for the third spot in the late green flag run, Tollison got by Turner for sixth, and Wing passed McRee for the eighth spot. In other action, the four ten-lap preliminary heat races were won by McRee, Brindle, Wing and Boland.
For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at NeSmith Racing. Becoming a fan of the NeSmith Racing Facebook page will make you eligible for special prizes that will be given away each month.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 20 AT MAGNOLIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN COLUMBUS, MS ON 9/5/10:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 10 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 40 $2,100
2. 1 1s Jeremy Shaw Millport, AL 40 $1,000
3. 8 21b Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 40 $700
4. 13 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $650
5. 4 27 Larry Harrod (R) Plains, GA 40 $500
6. 15 327 Jamie Tollison Kosciusko, MS 40 $425
7. 5 77 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $375
8. 9 118 Rodney Wing Meridian, MS 40 $350
9. 7 25 Justin McRee Tuscaloosa, AL 40 $325
10. 6 24 Mark Tice (R) Avon, MS 40 $300
11. 16 16 Tim Staples Pell City, AL 40 $275
12. 17 55 Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL 40 $250
13. 12 88 Charlie Henderson (R) Cottondale, AL 40 $225
14. 11 77a Dylan Ames Harvest, AL 40 $200
15. 14 T1 Todd Morrow Old Fort, TN 40 $175
16. 23 47 Shannon Lee (R) Lumberton, MS 40 $150
17. 18 232 Jamey Boland Cuba, AL 39 $140
18. 22 17 Billy Franklin Calera, AL 39 $125
19. 19 1m Kevin Maher McDavid, FL 38 $125
20. 24 28 Chris McElhenney Lake, MS 38 $125
21. 3 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 32 $125
22. 2 3 Shay Knight Ethelsville, MS 31 $125
23. 21 73 Evan Ellis (R) Plantersville, MS 13 $125
24. 20 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS 3 $125
ENTRIES: 52
FAST QUALIFIER: Shaw, 14.753 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Lee and McElhenney
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAPS LEADERS: Shaw, 1-26; M. Boland, 27-40
LAPS LED: Shaw, 26; M. Boland, 14
VP RACING FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Harrod
GM PERFORMANCE PARTS HARD CHARGER: M. Boland (started 10th and finished 1st)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: J. Stokes
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Harrod
KRC 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Tollison
JOE GIBBS DRIVEN OIL 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Wing
MAXIMUM SIGNS AND GRAPHICS 9TH-PLACE AWARD: McRee
KRC 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Tice
MIKE'S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Staples
SHORTY'S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: Nowell
CAUTIONS: 2
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.394 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 20 Minutes and 45.245 Seconds
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