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Roby Helm
TAMPA, Fla. (February 25) - Jack Nosbisch Jr. of Riverview, FL packed his bags, turned in the key, and checked out on the field Friday night to win the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap feature race at East Bay Raceway Park driving the Buddy's Home Furnishings Rocket. Nosbisch led the final 17 laps of the race to win with a half a lap margin over Bryan Bernhardt of Clearwater, FL.
Nosbisch inherited the lead on lap 24 after early race leader Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV cut down a right-front tire on his Mainland Transport Warrior during a caution period and he was forced to pit, ending his chance to repeat Thursday night's win.
"It looked like Doug had a tire going down before the caution came out because he was starting to push a little in the turns," Nosbisch said. "I had no idea I had as big a lead as I had at the end of the race. I thought I could hear everyone around me, so I just drove as hard as I could, like I did when I was chasing Doug before he went to the pits."
The last 16 laps of the race went caution-free, and Nosbisch checked out on Bernhardt in the Terry Eaglin Motorsports Rocket with a 9.401 second margin of victory. Keith Nosbisch of Valrico, FL finished third in the Image Skin Care Rocket, and Danny Breuer of Troutman, NC took the fourth spot in the AES Racing Special.
Phillip Cobb of Apollo Beach, FL started 17th and finished fifth in the Wells Brothers Farms Special to earn the Hedman Husler Award. Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL was the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race with a sixth-place effort in the Edge's Gas Company Special after out-qualifying the 46 entrants during time trials with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 16.323 seconds.
Shan Smith of Dade City, FL was seventh in the Outlaw Race Parts TNT, and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Lewisburg, TN took the eighth spot in the Eads Plumbing/Dixon Plumbing Special. Dave Schmauss of Dover, FL finished ninth in the Cardinal Paint and Body Warrior, and 2008 NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Champion Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA rounded out the top ten in the Bryson Motorsports Special.
Jack Nosbisch Jr. earned the pole position after winning the first 10-lap heat race and led the field down for the green flag to start the race. Second heat race winner Horton took the lead from his outside front row starting position followed by J. Nosbisch, Bernhardt, and Keith Nosbisch.
The green flag action was short-lived because the caution flag came out on the first lap when a multi-car pile-up on the backstretch stacked up the majority of the back half of the 24-car field. When everything was untangled, Larry Harrod of Plains, GA in the Harrod Logging Special, Doug Watson of Plant City, FL in the Brandon Auto Services Rocket, and Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS in the Lamar Auto Salvage/Petro Nissan Trak-Star were done for the night.
On the complete restart, Horton again grabbed the point with J. Nosbisch, Bernhardt, K. Nosbisch and Credence Mott of Vienna, IL in the Odum Car Brokers Special following. A short caution for debris on lap three closed up the field, and the third caution flag came out on lap five when Mott spun in turn two.
Mott would retire from the event a lap later when he spun in turn three to bring out the fourth caution flag of the race. The restart saw Edge inherited the fifth spot, but Breuer grabbed that position on the restart.
Smith climbed up to the seventh spot on lap eight, and the fifth caution flag came out on lap nine when Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS spun the Lawson Construction Rocket in turn three. Horton led J. Nosbisch, Bernhardt, K. Nosbisch, Breuer, Edge, Smith, Mark Tice of Avon, MS in the Precision Marine Trak-Star, Cobb, and Travis Varnadore of Dover, FL in the Sunstate International Trucks Special down for the restart.
Smith dropped Edge back to the seventh spot on lap 10. K. Nosbisch lost the fourth spot to Breuer on lap 18 when he tangled with the lapped car of Greg Robertson of Waynesboro, VA in the Wyn Bridge Industrial Fabricators Rocket. The green flag stayed out as K. Nosbisch held on to the fifth spot.
Horton began to encounter heavy lapped traffic by lap 20, and J. Nosbisch began to close the half straightaway lead Horton had built up. Tice spun in turn four on lap 24 to bring out the sixth caution flag of the race. During the caution period, Horton gave up the lead and went to the pits with his right-front tire going flat.
Horton returned to the track, but had to restart in the 18th position. His misfortune earned Horton the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. The final caution flag of the race came out on lap 25 when Steve Mathis of Plant City, FL in the Mathis Farms Special spun in turn four and collected Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS in the TJC Mortgage/Maximum Signs and Graphics GRT.
J. Nosbisch led Bernhardt, Breuer, K. Nosbisch, Smith, Cobb, Edge, Brindle, Gentry, and Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA in the Hedman Husler Special down for the restart. Schmauss moved up to tenth on the restart, and Nosbisch got by Breuer for the third spot on lap 28. J. Nosbisch had opened up a full straightaway lead on Bernhardt by lap 33.
K. Nosbisch moved up to battle Bernhardt for the second spot with five laps to go working the inside. With two laps to go, J. Nosbisch had a half-lap lead on the Bernhardt and K. Nosbisch battle for second. J. Nosbisch would cruise on home for the win, and Bernhardt would hold off K. Nosbisch to take the second spot.
In preliminary action, the four 10-lap heat races were won by J. Nosbisch, Horton, K. Nosbisch and Bernhardt. The two 12-lap B-Main races were won by Cobb and Frank Wilson of Harold, FL in the Wilson Lumber Trak-Star. Robert Cossell IV of Connellsville, PA in the Sprouts Pick-A-Part Warrior failed to make the main event after finishing fourth in the first B-Main to earn the Integra Racing Shocks Just Missed It Award.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series returns to East Bay Raceway Park on Saturday night for a 50-lap $3,000-to-win main event.
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 2 AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 2/25/11:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 12 Jack Nosbisch Jr. Riverview, FL 40 $2,000
2. 4 B69 Bryan Bernhardt Clearwater, FL 40 $1,000
3. 3 02 Keith Nosbisch Valrico, FL 40 $700
4. 8 B7 Dan Breuer Troutman, NC 40 $550
5. 17 32 Phillip Cobb Apollo Beach, FL 40 $600
6. 5 18 Chase Edge (R) Lafayette, AL 40 $425
7. 7 99 Shan Smith Dade City, FL 40 $375
8. 19 56 David Earl Gentry Lewisburg, TN 40 $350
9. 16 105 Dave Schmauss Dover, FL 40 $325
10. 10 21b Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 40 $300
11. 15 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $275
12. 9 41 Travis Varnadore Dover, FL 40 $250
13. 14 33c Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 40 $225
14. 13 24 Mark Tice (R) Avon, MS 40 $200
15. 18 72 Frank Wilson (R) Harold, FL 39 $175
16. 2 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV 39 $150
17. 18 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 24 $140
18. 12 95 Steve Mathis Plant City, FL 24 $125
19. 21 116 Greg Robertson Waynesboro, VA 17 $125
20. 23 69 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 7 $125
21. 6 89 Credence Mott Vienna, IL 5 $125
22. 11 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA 0 $125
23. 20 07 Doug Watson Plant City, FL 0 $125
24. 24 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 0 $125
ENTRIES: 46
FAST QUALIFIER: Edge, 16.323 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: Lee and Blount
LEAD CHANGES: 1
LAP LEADERS: Horton, 1-23; J. Nosbisch, 24-40
LAPS LED: Horton, 23; J. Nosbisch, 17
VP RACING FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Edge
HEDMAN HUSLER AWARD: Cobb (started 17th and finished 5th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD: Horton
INTEGRA RACING SHOCKS JUST MISSED IT AWARD: Robert Cossell IV
RACECAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Cobb
KRC 6TH-PLACE AWARD: Edge
JOE GIBBS DRIVEN OIL 7TH-PLACE AWARD: Smith
RACECAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Gentry
MAXIMUM SIGNS AND GRAPHICS 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Schmauss
KRC 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Brindle
MIKE'S CUSTOM TANKS 11TH-PLACE AWARD: Turner
SHORTY'S SHOCK SERVICE 12TH-PLACE AWARD: T. Varnadore
SCHOENFELD SHOCKS 13TH-PLACE AWARD: Cooley
J.T. KERR RACING EQUIPMENT 14TH-PLACE AWARD: Tice
COFIELD RACING STARTERS 15TH-PLACE AWARD: Wilson
KINSER AIR FILTERS 16TH-PLACE AWARD: Horton
CAUTIONS: 7
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 9.401 Seconds
TIME OF THE RACE: 43 Minutes and 22.985 Seconds
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