CARTERSVILLE, GA – Greenville Speedway Promoters Wesley Washington and James Clolinger were named the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Promoters of the Year on Saturday night at the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Annual Awards Banquet at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel.
Washington and Clolinger celebrated the award by announcing that the biggest race ever held at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS will take place on April 8-9 with a 75-lap $5,000-to-win NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring two-day show. The event will be called the Rumble On The Gumbo 75.
Since taking over the promotional reins of Greenville Speedway in 2007, Washington and Clolinger have made several improvements to the 1/4-mile high-banked gumbo clay oval. They signed with the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series in 2010, and have brought in NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring events over the past two seasons.
“Wesley Washington and James Clolinger have done a great job promoting Greenville Speedway by developing the track into a place that creates a good family atmosphere and they have stepped out into the community to make a difference in many areas,” NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Director Roby Helm said. “They have brought in events that have brought in people from out of town that have spent money at local businesses and they also raised over $8,000 for the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.”
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour has held three events at Greenville Speedway, and they have all been some of the best races the series has seen. The Rumble On The Gumbo 75 should be no different.
“The gumbo clay surface and the preparation Wesley and James provide makes for fast and intense three-wide racing,” Helm said. “Wesley and James also know how to go out and get the community involved with their racing program through working with the media and area businesses. They also have done a great job working with the racers, and enjoy a good car count each week in all of their divisions with the top talent in the area.”
In addition to the $5,000-to-win Rumble On The Gumbo 75 on April 8-9, Greenville Speedway will also host a pair of NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring events on October 7 and 8. There will be a 40-lap $2,000-to-win race on October 7 and a $2,500-to-win 50-lap race on October 8.
“We’re honored to receive the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Promoter of the Year Award because this shows our hard work and dedication, not only by us, but also by our staff and our competitors, is making a difference at Greenville Speedway,” Clolinger said. “Signing on with the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series is the best move we’ve made at Greenville Speedway because they are professional and do everything they can to help us be successful.”
“The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series has always brought good competitive racing to Greenville Speedway with their National events and our racers like running in the Weekly Racing Series to compete with drivers throughout the Southeast for Regional points,” Washington said. “The NeSmith series helps us not only with what happens on the track, but also helping us promote Greenville Speedway in the community. We’re looking forward to having them back in 2011.”
Helm said the criteria for the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Promoter of the Year Award are based on many things that a lot of people don’t see on race night.
“The NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Promoter of the Year Award is not only based on how successful a track is on race night,” Helm said. “Running a smooth show with competitive racing in a timely manner with professional officiating, creating a good family atmosphere at the track, and having an efficiently run concession stand with good food are all important. But this award goes beyond that, as we look at their administrative efficiency, how the track promotes itself with local media, and how they work within the local community. Greenville Speedway has done well in every area.”
Greenville Speedway is a part of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region, and the competitors compete not only for a track point fund, but also for a Regional point fund that involves drivers that compete at other Weekly Racing Series tracks in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas from April 1 through October 2. The series is designed for weekly non-touring drivers to give them exposure on a national basis.
The 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Regional Champion will win $5,000 out of the point fund, and that will also pay back ten places at the end of the season. A driver’s best 14 weekly point totals will count towards their season point total.
The Rumble On The Gumbo 75 will be Round 6 of the 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring schedule. This event should play a big part in developing the 2011 NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Championship chase. For more information about Greenville Speedway visit the track web site at www.greenvillespeedway.net.
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.
NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC of Claxton, GA is the Title Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. NeSmith Chevrolet, Buick, GMC is the nation’s number one GM Powertrain Dealer four years running, and is also the nation’s number one volume dealer of Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC cars, trucks, SUVs and vans with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast. GM Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and Hard Charger Award sponsor. Hoosier Race Tire is the Official Tire Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. VP Racing Fuel is the Official Racing Fuel of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Hedman Hedders is the Official Hedder of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for 2011 are Dominator Race Products, Race Car Engineering, KRC, Maximum Signs and Graphics, Mike Custom Tanks, Shorty’s Shock Service, Schoenfeld Headers, and Integra Racing Shocks.