NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series News Release:  Contact – ROBY HELM – (865) 207-4157

October 14, 2009

DRIVERS COMPETE FOR BIG MONEY AT NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS TOPLESS FALL NATIONALS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

                CARTERSVILLE, GA – The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will present its final two National points races this Friday and Saturday nights at South Mississippi Speedway in Gulfport, MS with the Topless Fall Nationals.  Friday night’s race will be a 40-lap $2,000-to-win main event, and Saturday night’s race will be a 50-lap $2,500-to-win main event.

                For several drivers, Rounds 22 and 23 of the 2009 season will mean much more monetarily that racing for the event purse without the roofs on their race cars.  The final two point races will settle the top ten spots in the points chase and how the $50,000 in the National point fund will be distributed.  There are also drivers that will be competing for post-season bonus awards.

                The big prize is the National Championship that pays $20,000, a new GM Performance 604 Crate engine, and a new race car chassis.  Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS will go into the final two point races with an 88-point lead.  The only driver standing between Cooley and the National Championship is Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL.

                At 18-years-old, Cooley may become the youngest National Champion in Dirt Late Model history this weekend.  To win the title, Cooley has to finish better than 21st position in both races.  That may seem like a simple task, but Cooley found out two weeks ago at the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS race at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL, nothing is a sure thing.

                While running in the top ten early in the race, the driveshaft broke under Cooley’s race car on lap 15, which left him in the pits with a 24th-place finish.

                Boutwell knows what he has to do this weekend, and that’s win both races.  There are 13,000 reasons for Boutwell to win.  Second-place in the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS point fund pays $7,000.  Even if Boutwell can’t top Cooley’ point total, and also can’t count on a slam dunk to put the second-place money of $7,000 in the bank for the second straight season.

                Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA is third in the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS points chase, and second-place is still on his horizon, as he is 56 points behind Boutwell with two races left.  Turner has been on a roll of late on the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Tour with top ten finishes in his last six races that include a win and three top five finishes.

                Third-place in the point fund pays $5,000, and fourth-place in the point fund pays $4,500.  With a possible 200 points on the line in the final two points-paying events this weekend, 188 points separate the top four drivers in the point standings.  Not only is Turner battling with Boutwell for the second spot, but he also has Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA just 46 points behind him in the fourth spot.

                The fifth-spot will end up being the second-highest payout at the 2009 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Awards Banquet on December 9 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Tampa, FL.  The two drivers battling for fifth in the point standings, Ben McCreary of Baldwyn, MS and Chase Washington of Houlka, MS, are also battling for the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Award.

                Sunoco Race Fuels distributed by the Bearden Oil Company of Eastman, GA will pay the top finishing rookie driver in the point standings $5,000.  Fifth-place pays $3,500, and sixth-place pays $3,000 in point fund money.

McCreary leads Washington by just 34 points for the fifth spot in the points chase, the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Award, a new race car chassis, and an $8,500 payday at the Awards Banquet.

Marcus Minga of Shannon, MS needs a pair of top ten finishes in the final two point races at South Mississippi to pass David Gentry of Lewisburg, TN for the seventh spot in the final point standings, and a $2,500 check from the points fund.  Minga is currently in eighth, 156 points behind Gentry, who dropped off the tour shortly after losing the point lead in August.

Seven drivers have an opportunity to finish in the ninth and tenth spots in the final point standings that pay $1,500 and $1,000 respectively in point fund money with strong finishes this weekend.  The ninth through 15th spots in the current point standings are separated by 174 points.

Jay Blair of Angie, LA is currently ninth, but he hasn’t competed on the National Tour in the last 11 races.  Jason Wilson of Margaret, AL moved back into the top ten with a good finish at Talladega Short Track on October 3.  Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA is eleventh, just eight points behind Wilson.  Fields will be trying for his unprecedented fifth consecutive top ten finish in the point standings.

Justin McRee of Woodstock, AL, Todd Morrow of East Ridge, TN, Mike Boland of Cuba, AL, and Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA are 12th through 15th respectively in the point standings, and still have a chance to finish in the top ten of the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National point standings.

Cooley, Boutwell and Rainey are also battling for a post-season bonus award, the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger Award, that pays $1,000 to the driver with the most Hard Charger points at the end of the season.  A driver earns a Hard Charger point for each position he improves from the start of the race to the end of the race.  Boutwell leads the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger standings with 91 points, Cooley is second with 85 points, and Rainey is third with 60 points.

Rainey has already clinched the McLeod Construction Fast Qualifier of the Year Award with five McLeod Construction Fast Time Awards during the 2009 season.  Rainey will receive a cash award from McLeod Construction at the Awards Banquet.

One award that means a lot for bragging rights in the dirt late model world is the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Chassis Manufactures Championship.  At each race, the six participating chassis manufactures receive points based on a 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 system based on finishing positions.

The defending NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Chassis Manufactures Challenge Champion Warrior Race Cars built by Goddard Performance of Knoxville, TN leads the standings with 185 points and nine wins on the season.

Warrior Race Cars will battle right down to the wire this season with two-time NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS Chassis Manufactures Challenge Champion Mastersbilt Race Cars of Crothersville, IN, who is second with 182 points and two wins.

The NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Tour will present compete racing events on both Friday night and Saturday nights with McLeod Construction Qualifying, Heat Races, and B-Main Races with a $2,000-to-win 40-lap main event on Friday night, and a $2,500-to-win 50-lap main event on Saturday night.  Competitors are reminded that mufflers are required on race cars at all times.

South Mississippi Speedway is located just north of I-10 at Exit 24.  For more information call 228-255-8008, or visit the track web site at www.southmsspeedway.com.  For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com.

-30-