CMS Starts 2016 With Big Bang This Weekend

   This weekend will be the first race of 2016 for Cochran Motor Speedway and it will start off with a bang. Not one nationally known series, but two, will be coming into the speedway as the Southern All Stars and Nesmith series both bring a full weekend of excitement and racing for fans from all over the south. It's the perfect way for the track to start their year off right. Friday will kick the weekend off with a practice for all divisions. Gates will open at 2pm and practice will run from 6:30-10pm. Everyone that needs practice in encouraged to come on Friday because practice times will be limited for Saturday and Sunday in order to keep both shows running in a timely manner.
   Saturday and Sunday will have gates opening at 10am both days and driver's meeting at 2pm. Racing will follow right after the meeting. Both days the Southern All Stars will run 50 lap races and both will pay out $5000 to win. A driver can have the potential to win $10000 this weekend if he can sweep both races. With names like Rambo Franklin, Riley Hickman, Brandon Overton, Dale Mcdowell, Casey Roberts, and Ivedent Lloyd, it'll be a stout field with some of the best of the best from all over coming for their shot at $5000 each night and of course the ever popular Southern All Stars announcer Dewayne Keith will be on the mic calling each and every move on the track.
   The NeSmith Series will be bringing their brand of excitement and action to CMS also this weekend with drivers from all over the southeastern U.S. Drivers like Chase Edge who finished third in NeSmith points for 2015 and is currently leading the winter points right now. Cale Conley who is second in winter points right now and who, this time last year, was driving in the Xfinity series at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Waycross brothers and strong contenders Ryan and Hunter Carter, Ben Faircloth, local drivers and standouts Mallory Harvey, Wil Herrington, Jordy Nipper will be in attendance along with Pearson Lee Williams who is coming off two top three finishes from Golden Isles Speedway during Speedweeks and the only female in field, Ahnna Parkhurst will be in attendance to show the boys how it's done. Along with the NeSmith drivers we'll have announcer Roby Helm in the house to give the crowds a play by play and of course Tim Sims riding through the pits to make sure his drivers are all on the same page with their cars.
   The NeSmith cars will be running 40 laps on Saturday for $2000 to win and Sunday will be running 50 laps for $2500 to win. Along with these two series, Cochran will also be running their other divisions. Super Street, Bomber, Pure Stock, Sportsman, and CMS Late models will all also compete both days. Bomber, Pure Stock and Superstreet will run 15 lap features both days, Sportsman is a 20 lap feature and CMS Late Models are 25 lap features. With the local classes running and with around 30 supers and 35 crates coming, the pits will be packed out and drivers will be coming from as far away as Pennsylvania.
   The track has made changes in the off season which will help the drivers out and give them more room to race. Five hundred loads of new clay has been brought in and the turns have been widened 25 feet along with more banking added. Turn 1 and 2 were tight before the change and ended up with causing cautions. Now it gives drivers more room and creates a racy surface for them. Checking the forecast for the weekend as I always do before a race weekend it looks to be absolutely perfect with no "r" word in sight and near perfect temperatures. The track will be running a tight schedule on Sunday and will have the program running smoothly because they understand that people have to work the next day. Cochran is prepping and preparing and ready for all racing fans to come out and have a good time and hit up the concessions to feed those hungry bellies. Be prepared for a great weekend of racing at Cochran this weekend and just a chance to get your dirt fix and if you're a driver remember to try to come out Friday for practice to get your time in on the track since practice will be limited Saturday and Sunday. This is a huge weekend for CMS and we can't wait to see full pits and full stands! Countdown to the race weekend is on!!!