By: Nesmith Media
WAYCROSS, GA – Chase Edge of LaFayette, AL swept the first of two nights for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series on Friday night at Waycross Motor Speedway. Edge took the point from the pole position and led all 40 laps to take the $2,000 victory in the Edge’s Gas Company Special.
Crates
Superstreets
Enduro
The only driver that could stay close to Edge was local favorite Cecil Eunice of Blackshear, GA. Eunice would close to within a couple of car lengths of Edge in heavy lapped traffic, but he would never get close enough to challenge for the lead. Eunice would have to settle for second in the Ace Pole Company Special.
“My crew was giving me signals telling me how big of a lead I had and I slowed down a little to manage my tires,” Edge said. “Cecil was able to close in when we got to lapped traffic, so then I knew I had to pick the pace back up again. The car was working well, as I could drive it anywhere I needed to and get through the lapped cars”
At one point in the race, Edge put four lapped cars between himself and Eunice, but that advantage was erased with a lap 29 caution flag. That cleared out the lapped cars, but Edge was able to maintain an eight car-length advance over Eunice to the checkered flag.
Eunice had the air cleaner cover come off his race car early in the race, and that caused the air cleaner element to stand straight up in the wind over the air inlet of his carburetor. Eunice said that was just enough to let his engine “layover” with a slight loss of horsepower.
Hunter Carter of Blackshear, GA held off a strong challenge from the defending and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN to take the third spot in the Bud Light Special. Johnson had to settle for the fourth position in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special.
Johnson’s fourth-place finish was good enough for the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee to take over the NeSmith Late Model National point lead from Walker Arthur of Forest, VA. Johnson has 484 points to 464 for Arthur. With the win, Edge moved up to the third spot in the points chase with 462 points.
Mallory Harvey of Baxley, GA finished fifth in the Rentz Farms Rocket and Jeremy Faircloth of Swainsboro, GA started 11th and finished sixth in the LJR Forestry Warrior to earn the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race Award. Ryan Carter of Blackshear, GA drove the Mark’s Auto and Collision Center Special to a seventh-place finish and was the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series Driver of the Race.
Chesley Dixon of Swainsboro, GA took the eighth spot in the Central Fence Company Special, and Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race with a ninth-place finish in the Mighty Muffler and Brakes Rocket. Pearson Williams of Dublin, GA rounded out the top ten in the Dublin Tire TNT.
Edge earned the pole position for the start of the race by taking Fast Time honors during Qualifications with a lap around the 4/10-mile clay oval in 17.748 seconds. When the green flag came out to start the race, Edge led Eunice, Harvey, Cody Martin of Christiana, TN in the Martin Racing Warrior, and Ryan Carter.
Johnson moved up into the top five on lap two and Hunter Carter worked to the inside of Harvey coming off the second turn on lap six to climb into the third spot. Up front, Edge began to encounter lapped cars on lap 14. That gave Eunice an opportunity to close to within a couple of car lengths of Edge, but that’s as close as he got.
Edge picked up his pace, and widened his racing groove to work through the lapped traffic, and by lap 25, the leader had put four lapped cars between himself and Eunice. That seemed to seal the deal for Edge, but Eunice found one more opportunity to close in on Edge when the caution flag came out on lap 29 when Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL stalled the Panama City Cycles Trak-Star on the front straightaway.
The field lined up for a “Dixie-Style” double-file restart with Edge leading Eunice, Hunter Carter, Harvey, Johnson, Martin, Ryan Carter, Faircloth, Williams and Dixon doubled up behind the leader. Martin spun out of the sixth spot in turn two on the restart to bring out the second and final caution flag of the race.
Edge was able to maintain a six the eight car-length lead in the 11 remaining laps, and Johnson passed Harvey for the fourth spot on lap 33 and then reeled in Hunter Carter to challenge for third in the closing laps of the race. Edge took the checkered flag with a 1.307 second margin of victory over Eunice.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will return to Waycross Motor Speedway on Saturday night for a 50-lap $2,500-to-win event that will mark the 200th NeSmith Late Model Touring race since the series’ inception in 2005.
For more information and rules 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. You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 6 AT WAYCROSS MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN WAYCROSS, GA ON 4/10/15:
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 40 $2,000
2. 2 22 Cecil Eunice Blackshear, GA 40 $1,000
3. 3 25 Hunter Carter Blackshear, GA 40 $700
4. 5 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 40 $550
5. 4 29 Mallory Harvey Baxley, GA 40 $500
6. 11 4 Jeremy Faircloth Swainsboro, GA 40 $425
7. 6 52 Ryan Carter (Y) Blackshear, GA 40 $375
8. 12 3 Chesley Dixon Swainsboro, GA 39 $350
9. 13 H2 Matt Henderson (R) Loudon, TN 39 $325
10. 10 121 Pearson Williams Dublin, GA 39 $300
11. 16 55 Montana Dudley Phenix City, AL 39 $275
12. 14 30 Ryan King (R) Seymour, TN 39 $250
13. 8 21m Cody Martin (R) Christiana, TN 32 $225
14. 15 10 Ryan Crane (R) Panama City, FL 28 $200
15. 9 28 Henry Carter Jr. Kite, FL 24 $175
16. 7 14 Stanton Mills St. Augustine, FL 19 $150
17. 17 45 Damon Flowers Hortense, GA 13 $140
