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Local Drivers Take Front Row Spots For NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS East Bay Finale

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NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model SeriesTAMPA, FL – The $10,000-to-win 100-lap 7th Annual GM Performance Parts World Championship Race at East Bay Raceway Park, the 2011 season finale for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Tour, got underway on Friday night with Qualifying and Heat Races to fill the first 18 starting spots for Saturday night’s big show.

Local favorites Mark Whitener of Middleburg, FL and Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL earned the front row starting spots with wins in the first two 15-lap Heat Races. The top three finishers in each of the 15-lap; Heat Races on Friday night transferred into the main event on Saturday night to make up the “Elite 18.”

Whitener drove the Dave’s Towing Special to victory in the first heat race on Friday night to earn the pole position for Saturday night’s 100 lapper. Dixon won the second heat race in the Mathis Farms Special to take the outside front row starting spot for the main event.

Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC won the third heat race in the AES Racing Special to earn the inside second row starting spot, and Rodney Wing of Meridian, MS won the fourth heat race and will start the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Rocket on the outside of the second row for the big show.

The fifth heat race was won by Royce Bray of Hull, GA in the Junk Monkey Recycling Warrior to earn the inside third row starting spot for the $10,000-to-win race, and Brandon Overton of Appling, GA earned the outside third row starting spot for Saturday night’s main event with a win in the sixth heat race on Friday night driving the Budweiser Rocket.

Rows four, five and six of the GM Performance Parts World Championship Race will be made up of the second-place finishers in the six heat races, and rows seven, eight and nine will be filled by the third-place finishers in the six heat races.

Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA set fast time among the 53 entrants for the GM Performance Parts World Championship Race with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 15.758 seconds driving the AES Racing Special. Davenport finished second in the first heat race, followed by Steve Francis of Ashland, KY in the CVR Race Cars Special.

Following Dixon under the checkered flag in the second heat race were Ivedent Lloyd of Ocala, FL in the CURS Rocket and defending race champion Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV in the Adams Used Auto Parts Warrior. Second and third respectively in heat three were Randy Weaver of Crossville, TN in the Outlaw Race Parts GRT and Phillip Cobb of Apollo Beach, FL in the Suldea Motorsports Special.

Jack Nosbisch Jr. of Riverview, FL finished second in the fourth heat race driving the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Rocket followed by 2006 GM Performance Parts World Championship Race winner Randy Korte of Highland, IL in the Kehrers Brothers Roofing Rocket.

The second and third-place drivers respectively in the fifth heat race were Jeff Mathews of Tampa, FL in the Nighthawk Towing Rocket and Dave Schmauss of Dover, FL in the Cardinal Paint and Body Warrior. Shan Smith of Dade City, FL finished second in the sixth heat race in the Outlaw Race Parts TNT followed by Doug Watson of Plant City, FL in the Brandon Auto Services Rocket.

Drivers that finished fourth on back in the six 15-lap heat races on Friday will have another opportunity to make the big show on Saturday night in one of two 20-lap B-Main Races. The top two finishers in each B-Main will transfer to the main event in starting positions 19 through 22. Starting positions 23 and 24 are NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Provisional starting spots reserved for the Top 15 in the point standings.

Those two provisional starting spots will be at a premium because eight drivers in the Top 10 of the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS points chase are still on the outside looking in. There is also a former champion of the GM Performance Parts World Championship Race and a National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer that will be running a B-Main Race on Saturday night.

Those drivers include point leader Dan Breuer of Troutman, NC, second-place driver and two-time series champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN, third-place driver Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA, fourth-place driver and 2011 VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL, and fifth-place driver Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS.

Other NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Top 10 drivers not yet qualified for the big show are seventh-place driver Steve Cooke of Mt. Airy, NC, ninth-place driver Frank Wilson of Harold, FL and tenth-place driver Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS. Also not yet qualified for the main event are the 2009 race winner Tim McCreadie of Watertown, NY, and Hall of Fame driver Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN.

On Saturday, Driver Check-In will be from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., the Drivers Meeting is set for 5:45 p.m., Hot Laps will be at 6 p.m., and racing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. East Bay Raceway Park is located five miles south of I-4 just off U.S. Highway 41. For more information, call the track at 813-677-7223, or visit the track web site at www.eastbayracewaypark.com.

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.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF ROUND 17 AT EAST BAY RACEWAY PARK IN TAMPA, FL ON 12/3/11:

GROUP QUALIFYING:
GROUP 1:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 10 Rodney Wing Meridian, MS Rocket 16.383 16.214 16.214
2 12n Jack Nosbisch Jr. Riverview, FL Rocket 16.781 16.231 16.231
3 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS GRT 16.402 16.304 16.304
4 14 Mavrick Varnadore Dover, FL Rayburn 17.161 16.461 16.461
5 8ball Randy Korte Highland, IL Rocket 16.531 16.507 16.507
6 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA DWB 16.646 16.617 16.617
7 69 Tony Lawson – R Laurel, MS Scorpion 17.058 16.693 16.693
8 95jr Steve Mathis Jr. Plant City, FL Rayburn 16.877 16.731 16.731
9 17c Steve Cooke Mt. Airy, NC Barry Wright 16.882 16.802 16.802

GROUP 2:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 37 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville, GA Barry Wright 15.758 15.848 15.758
2 58 Mark Whitener Middleburg, FL Barry Wright 16.489 15.967 15.967
3 15 Steve Francis Ashland, KY CVR 16.134 15.972 15.972
4 21b Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA Rocket 17.522 16.194 16.194
5 111 Steven Roberts Jesup, GA Victory Circle 16.784 16.221 16.221
6 B7 Danny Breuer Troutman, NC Barry Wright 16.333 16.223 16.223
7 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN Warrior 16.388 16.273 16.273
8 41 Travis Varnadore Dover, FL Rayburn 16.859 16.412 16.412
9 114 Chris Cantrell Chester, SC Rocket 16.768 16.494 16.494

GROUP 3:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 95 Devin Dixon Apollo Beach, FL Barry Wright 15.844 15.886 15.844
2 33x Ivedent Lloyd Ocala, FL Rocket 15.966 17.327 15.966
3 02 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY Rocket 16.229 16.234 16.229
4 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV Warrior 16.507 16.255 16.255
5 17s Jeff Smith Chatsworth, GA Warrior 16.361 16.511 16.361
6 21p Josh Peacock – R Dover, FL Warrior 16.610 16.440 16.440
7 51 Mack McCarter Sevierville, TN CVR 16.573 16.624 16.573
8 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS GRT 17.084 17.032 17.032
9 25 Matt Long Concord, NC Rocket 17.237 17.332 17.237

GROUP 4:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 21 Royce Bray Hull, GA Warrior 16.313 16.301 16.301
2 105 Dave Schmauss Dover, FL Warrior 17.583 16.389 16.389
3 2* Shane Hitt Buckhannon, WV Warrior 16.920 16.525 16.525
4 18 Chase Edge – R Lafayette, AL Mastersbilt 16.903 16.579 16.579
5 11r Stacey Roberts Sylvester, GA Rocket 16.862 16.588 16.588
6 18g Brent Glastetter Mooresville, NC Barry Wright 16.971 16.725 16.725
7 33 Jeff Mathews Tampa, FL Rocket 16.954 16.846 16.846
8 46m Kyle Musselman Lutz, FL Warrior 17.255 17.936 17.255
9 5 Hayden Campbell Monteverde, FL Brown 17.348 17.386 17.348

GROUP 5:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 27 Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC Barry Wright 16.241 16.073 16.073
2 116 Randy Weaver Crossville, TN GRT 16.241 16.260 16.241
3 8b Steve Banal Troutman, NC Mastersbilt 16.633 16.477 16.477
4 32 Phillip Cobb Apollo Beach, FL Barry Wright 16.499 16.536 16.499
5 12 Ryan Montgomery Fairmont, WV Warrior 16.528 16.672 16.528
6 71 Pierce McCarter Sevierville, TN CVR 16.758 16.783 16.758
7 2s Sammy Stile Charleeroi, PA Rocket 16.932 16.841 16.841
8 72 Frank Wilson – R Harold, FL Trak-Star 18.534 17.316 17.316
9 7 Nolan Dalton Morganton, WV Rocket 19.607 18.053 18.053

GROUP 6:
POS CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN CHASSIS LAP 1 LAP 2 TIME
1 76 Brandon Overton Appling, GA Rocket 16.509 16.594 16.509
2 8x Brent Kehrer Albers, IL Rocket 16.578 16.925 16.578
3 07 Doug Watson Plant City, FL Rocket 16.664 17.003 16.664
4 99w Shan Smith Dade City, FL TNT 16.860 16.668 16.668
5 4U2 Albert Cosnahan Stillmore, GA GRT 17.058 16.886 16.886
6 *18 Kevin Wilson Stoneville, NC Wilson 51.961 17.138 17.138
7 10x Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN DWB 18.393 17.376 17.376
8 4q Forrest Trent Talbot, TN Barry Wright 18.163 18.582 18.163

HEAT RACES (15 Laps – Top 3 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST HEAT: 1. Whitener; 2. Davenport; 3. Francis; 4. Brindle; 5. Breuer; 6. Ste. Roberts; 7. Gentry; 8. T. Varnadore; 9. Cantrell.

2ND HEAT: 1. Dixon; 2. Lloyd; 3. Horton; 4. McCreadie; 5. J. Smith; 6. Peacock (R); 7. Long; 8. Lee; 9. M. McCarter.

3RD HEAT: 1. Franklin; 2. Weaver; 3. Cobb; 4. Banal; 5. F. Wilson (R); 6. P. McCarter; 7. Stile; 8. Montgomery; 9. Dalton.

4TH HEAT: 1. Wing; 2. Nosbisch; 3. Korte; 4. Stokes; 5. M. Varnadore; 6. Turner; 7. Mathis; 8. Cooke; 9. Lawson (R).

5TH HEAT: 1. Bray; 2. Mathews; 3. Schmauss; 4. Edge (R); 5. Sta. Roberts; 6. Glastetter; 7. Campbell; 8. Hitt; 9. Musselman.

6TH HEAT: 1. Overton; 2. S. Smith; 3. Watson; 4. Johnson; 5. Cosnahan; 6. Kehrer; 7. Trent; 8. K. Wilson.

“ELITE 18” FEATURE RACE LINE UP:

ROW 1:
58 Mark Whitener – 95 Devin Dixon
ROW 2:
27 Dennis Franklin – 10w Rodney Wing
ROW 3:
21 Royce Bray – 76 Brandon Overton
ROW 4:
37 Jonathan Davenport – 33x Ivedent Lloyd
ROW 5:
116 Randy Weaver – 12 Jack Nosbisch Jr.
ROW 6:
33 Jeff Mathews – 99w Shan Smith
ROW 7:
15 Steve Francis – 11 Doug Horton
ROW 8:
32 Phillip Cobb – 8ball Randy Korte
ROW 9:
105 Dave Schmauss – 07 Doug Watson

B-MAIN LINE-UPS (20 Laps – Top 2 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST B-MAIN:
21b Chip Brindle – 8b Mark Banal
18 Chase Edge (R) – B7 Dan Breuer
72 Frank Wilson (R) – 11r Stacey Roberts
111 Steven Roberts – 71 Pierce McCarter
18g Brent Glastetter – 56 David Earl Gentry
2s Sammy Stile – 5 Hayden Campbell
41 Travis Varnadore – 12 Ryan Montgomery
2h Shane Hitt – 114 Chris Cantrell
7 Nolan Dalton – 46m Kyle Musselman
2ND B-MAIN:
02 Tim McCreadie – 1 Johnny Stokes
10x Ronnie Johnson – 17s Jeff Smith
14 Maverick Varnadore – 4U2 Albert Cosnahan
21p Josh Peacock (R) – 10 Matthew Turner
8g Brent Kehrer – 25 Matt Long
95jr. Steve Mathis Jr. – 4q Forrest Trent
47 Shannon Lee – 17c Steve Cooke
18* Kevin Wilson – 51 Mack McCarter
69 Tony Lawson (R)
R – Denotes VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidate

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, with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast. GM Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Hoosier Racing 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 and the Hedman Husler Award sponsor. Old Man’s Garage (OMG) is the sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region. NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for 2011 are Dominator Race Products, Race Car Engineering, KRC, QA 1 Precision Products, Modern Images, Mike Custom Tanks, Shorty’s Shock Service, Schoenfeld Headers, Integra Racing Shocks, J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment, Cofields Racing Starters, Kinser Air Filters, Trak-Star Race Cars, Warrior Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, TNT Race Cars, and Stinger Race Cars.

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