CARTERSVILLE, GA – Things are beginning to get interesting in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series as Week 13 of the 2009 season unfolds. There are several drivers in the West Region that have reached the 16-race mark. Drivers behind them still racing for full points are making moves up the standings, and there is a new point leader in the East Region.
As the halfway point of the 27-week season approaches, drivers representing all of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series sanctioned tracks are still in the running for Regional Championships.
The Week 13 schedule of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series will feature 13 events with eight in the West Region and five in the East Region. Batesville Motor Speedway in Batesville, AR and Hattiesburg Motorsports Park in Hattiesburg, MS will open the West Region action on Friday night.
Saturday night West Region events will be held at Central Mississippi Speedway in Winona, MS, Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS, Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, MS, Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS, South Mississippi Speedway in Gulfport, MS, and Pike County Speedway in McComb, MS.
East Region competition will begin on Friday night at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL, with Saturday night races scheduled for Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville, TN, Tri-County Race Track in Brasstown, NC, Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL, and East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season runs through October 4, and a driver’s best 16 point nights, plus up to 40 bonus points for running a maximum of four National Touring events count towards their point total. Once a driver reaches the 16-race mark, they begin netting points in trying to improve on their lowest point race of the season.
Regardless of where they are now in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS Regional point standings, a good gauge to use to see how a driver is doing in the points chase is to use a weekly point average. A weekly point average of 40 or higher is a number that will keep a driver in the running for a Regional title.
Watching the weekly point averages is interesting to keep track of. It’s like restrictor plate racing on paper where a driver can come out of nowhere to the top of the list. Last year, Jim McDuffie of Meridian, MS didn’t appear towards the top of the list until late in the season, and he won the West Region title. McDuffie appears to be using that same strategy for 2009.
McDuffie is currently ranked 16th in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS West Region standings, but he has a weekly point average of 45.7, which is the second highest in the Region. Current West Region point leader Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS has a weekly point average of 44.5 which is currently the 6th highest in the Region.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring point leader Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS is currently eighth in the West Region standings, but he has the highest weekly point average with 48.5. The third highest weekly point average in the West Region is fourth-place Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS with 44.9. Keeton is looking for his third WRS West Region title.
Two drivers that are buried in a tie for the 18th spot in the West Region standings, Wiley Williams of Stonewall, MS and Randy Boyd of Marion, MS, own the fourth highest point averages in the West Region at 44.6.
Other drivers in the West Region with a 40 or higher weekly point average with six or more starts are Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS at 43.6, Tracy Brown of Lumberton, MS at 42.2, Kody Barber of Bogalusa, LA at 43.9, Cliff Williams of Star, MS at 43.7, Randall Beckwith of Kilmichael, MS at 41.8, Chase Washington of Houlka, MS at 42.2, and Jason Wilkey of Batesville, AR at 40.6.
The top three drivers in the West Region standings, Arnold, Lee, and Brown have reached the 16-race mark, and their averages reflect their top 16 point races. Keeton and Barber have 15 starts, and are fourth and fifth respectively in the West Region standings. Cooley, Williams, and Beckwith each have nine starts. Washington has eight starts, while McDuffie, Wiley Williams, Boyd, and Wilkey each have seven starts.
Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL finished third on Tuesday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL, and has taken over the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region point lead by 18 points over Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL. While that’s the good news for Dudley, the bad news is that he is third on the weekly average points list for the East Region at 45.8.
Although he is currently second in the East Region standings, Knowles has a remarkable East Region leading weekly point average of 48.2. A perfect weekly point average is 50. Knowles has 12 starts, one less than Dudley, and has seven wins. No East Region driver has yet to reach the 16-race mark.
To find the second highest weekly point average in the East Region, one has to look down to the 19th spot in the standings where Larry Harrod of Plains, GA has a 46 after seven starts. Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL is tied for the third spot with Dudley in the weekly point average department at 45.8, and is currently sixth in the East Region point standings with 10 starts.
A legitimate East Region title contender currently sits way back in the 28th spot of the point standings. Richie Stephens of Phenix City, AL has teamed up with car owner Billy Thomas and has quickly turned in two victories at East Alabama Motor Speedway, including one on Tuesday night. Stephens has the fifth-highest East Region weekly point average at 44.3 in six starts.
Another driver to watch in the East Region is the defending NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region Champion Adam Martin of Talladega, AL. Although Martin is 15th in the current East Region standings, he owns the sixth-highest weekly point average at 44 in eight starts.
Martin and Stephens battled right down to the wire last year for the East Region Championship and they could be setting up for a repeat performance in 2009.
Other drivers in the East Region with a 40 or higher weekly point average include ninth-place Dana Eiland of Salem, AL and 14th-place Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL, each at 41.1. Eiland has 10 starts and Elkins has nine starts. Jerry Goodwin of Eastaboga, AL and Bobby Eiland of Phenix City, AL are 17th and 18th respectively in the East Region standings, but both drivers have eight starts with a weekly point average of 42.75.
For a complete rundown of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings in both the West and East Regions, and links to the web sites of NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series tracks, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com.
NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES WEEK 13 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
WEST REGION:
June 26:
BATESVILLE MOTOR SPEEDWAY – BATESVILLE, AR
HATTIESBURG MOTORSPORTS PARK – HATTIESBURG, MS
June 27:
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI SPEEDWAY – WINONA, MS
COLUMBUS SPEEDWAY – COLUMBUS, MS
JACKSON MOTOR SPEEDWAY – JACKSON, MS
PIKE COUNTY SPEEDWAY – McCOMB, MS
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI SPEEDWAY – GULFPORT, MS
WHYNOT MOTORSPORTS PARK – MERIDIAN, MS
EAST REGION:
June 26:
PENTON RACEWAY – PENTON, AL
June 27:
MOUNTAIN RACEWAY PARK – MARYVILLE, TN
TRI-COUNTY RACE TRACK – BRASSTOWN, NC
TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK – EASTABOGA, AL
EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY – PHENIX CITY, AL
As the halfway point of the 27-week season approaches, drivers representing all of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series sanctioned tracks are still in the running for Regional Championships.
The Week 13 schedule of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series will feature 13 events with eight in the West Region and five in the East Region. Batesville Motor Speedway in Batesville, AR and Hattiesburg Motorsports Park in Hattiesburg, MS will open the West Region action on Friday night.
Saturday night West Region events will be held at Central Mississippi Speedway in Winona, MS, Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS, Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, MS, Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS, South Mississippi Speedway in Gulfport, MS, and Pike County Speedway in McComb, MS.
East Region competition will begin on Friday night at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL, with Saturday night races scheduled for Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville, TN, Tri-County Race Track in Brasstown, NC, Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL, and East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season runs through October 4, and a driver’s best 16 point nights, plus up to 40 bonus points for running a maximum of four National Touring events count towards their point total. Once a driver reaches the 16-race mark, they begin netting points in trying to improve on their lowest point race of the season.
Regardless of where they are now in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS Regional point standings, a good gauge to use to see how a driver is doing in the points chase is to use a weekly point average. A weekly point average of 40 or higher is a number that will keep a driver in the running for a Regional title.
Watching the weekly point averages is interesting to keep track of. It’s like restrictor plate racing on paper where a driver can come out of nowhere to the top of the list. Last year, Jim McDuffie of Meridian, MS didn’t appear towards the top of the list until late in the season, and he won the West Region title. McDuffie appears to be using that same strategy for 2009.
McDuffie is currently ranked 16th in the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS West Region standings, but he has a weekly point average of 45.7, which is the second highest in the Region. Current West Region point leader Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS has a weekly point average of 44.5 which is currently the 6th highest in the Region.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring point leader Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS is currently eighth in the West Region standings, but he has the highest weekly point average with 48.5. The third highest weekly point average in the West Region is fourth-place Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS with 44.9. Keeton is looking for his third WRS West Region title.
Two drivers that are buried in a tie for the 18th spot in the West Region standings, Wiley Williams of Stonewall, MS and Randy Boyd of Marion, MS, own the fourth highest point averages in the West Region at 44.6.
Other drivers in the West Region with a 40 or higher weekly point average with six or more starts are Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS at 43.6, Tracy Brown of Lumberton, MS at 42.2, Kody Barber of Bogalusa, LA at 43.9, Cliff Williams of Star, MS at 43.7, Randall Beckwith of Kilmichael, MS at 41.8, Chase Washington of Houlka, MS at 42.2, and Jason Wilkey of Batesville, AR at 40.6.
The top three drivers in the West Region standings, Arnold, Lee, and Brown have reached the 16-race mark, and their averages reflect their top 16 point races. Keeton and Barber have 15 starts, and are fourth and fifth respectively in the West Region standings. Cooley, Williams, and Beckwith each have nine starts. Washington has eight starts, while McDuffie, Wiley Williams, Boyd, and Wilkey each have seven starts.
Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL finished third on Tuesday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, AL, and has taken over the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region point lead by 18 points over Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL. While that’s the good news for Dudley, the bad news is that he is third on the weekly average points list for the East Region at 45.8.
Although he is currently second in the East Region standings, Knowles has a remarkable East Region leading weekly point average of 48.2. A perfect weekly point average is 50. Knowles has 12 starts, one less than Dudley, and has seven wins. No East Region driver has yet to reach the 16-race mark.
To find the second highest weekly point average in the East Region, one has to look down to the 19th spot in the standings where Larry Harrod of Plains, GA has a 46 after seven starts. Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL is tied for the third spot with Dudley in the weekly point average department at 45.8, and is currently sixth in the East Region point standings with 10 starts.
A legitimate East Region title contender currently sits way back in the 28th spot of the point standings. Richie Stephens of Phenix City, AL has teamed up with car owner Billy Thomas and has quickly turned in two victories at East Alabama Motor Speedway, including one on Tuesday night. Stephens has the fifth-highest East Region weekly point average at 44.3 in six starts.
Another driver to watch in the East Region is the defending NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region Champion Adam Martin of Talladega, AL. Although Martin is 15th in the current East Region standings, he owns the sixth-highest weekly point average at 44 in eight starts.
Martin and Stephens battled right down to the wire last year for the East Region Championship and they could be setting up for a repeat performance in 2009.
Other drivers in the East Region with a 40 or higher weekly point average include ninth-place Dana Eiland of Salem, AL and 14th-place Jimmy Elkins Jr. of Talladega, AL, each at 41.1. Eiland has 10 starts and Elkins has nine starts. Jerry Goodwin of Eastaboga, AL and Bobby Eiland of Phenix City, AL are 17th and 18th respectively in the East Region standings, but both drivers have eight starts with a weekly point average of 42.75.
For a complete rundown of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings in both the West and East Regions, and links to the web sites of NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series tracks, visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com.
NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES WEEK 13 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
WEST REGION:
June 26:
BATESVILLE MOTOR SPEEDWAY – BATESVILLE, AR
HATTIESBURG MOTORSPORTS PARK – HATTIESBURG, MS
June 27:
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI SPEEDWAY – WINONA, MS
COLUMBUS SPEEDWAY – COLUMBUS, MS
JACKSON MOTOR SPEEDWAY – JACKSON, MS
PIKE COUNTY SPEEDWAY – McCOMB, MS
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI SPEEDWAY – GULFPORT, MS
WHYNOT MOTORSPORTS PARK – MERIDIAN, MS
EAST REGION:
June 26:
PENTON RACEWAY – PENTON, AL
June 27:
MOUNTAIN RACEWAY PARK – MARYVILLE, TN
TRI-COUNTY RACE TRACK – BRASSTOWN, NC
TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK – EASTABOGA, AL
EAST ALABAMA MOTOR SPEEDWAY – PHENIX CITY, AL
