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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CARTERSVILLE, GA – Cochran Motor Speedway in Cochran, GA will host two races this Friday night and Saturday night, as the finale for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rock Auto.com Winter Shootout. Friday night’s event will be a $2,000-to-win 40 lap race, and the Saturday extravaganza will pay $4,000-to-win and be 50 laps in length.

Some of the top drivers in the Southeast are expected and the 2018 RockAuto.com Winter Shootout Champion will be crowned. Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, TN holds a 28-point lead over three-time NeSmith Late Model National Champion and National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN.

Johnson won the RockAuto.com Winter Shootout opener in January, the Ice Bowl at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Johnson is just six points ahead of the third-place driver, Andy Picklesimer of Ooltewah, TN. Picklesimer is also in championship contention for the 2018 RockAuto.com Winter Shootout title.

            Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL is fourth in the standings, but after winning his second straight Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race last month at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL, he has moved on to another series. That will open the door for other drivers to move up in the final standings after the last two races this weekend at Cochran Motor Speedway.

            Sam Seawright of Fort Payne, AL is fifth in the Winter Shootout points chase, just 12 points behind Picklesimer, and Michael Page of Douglasville, GA is sixth, ten points behind Seawright. Youth will be served at the Cochran Motor Speedway Winter Shootout finale for the NeSmith Late Models. Seawright is just 14-years-old, but he won’t be the youngest driver in the field.

            Parker Martin of Milledgeville, GA is just 13-years-old, but he is already a veteran of dirt late model competition. Martin finished tenth out of 34 drivers in last year’s Young Gun Challenge Series, a series within a series for NeSmith Late Model drivers 18-year-old and younger. Martin also finished third in the Cochran Motor Speedway Late Model point standings last season as a 12-year-old.

            His appearance at his home track this weekend will be a tune-up for the seventh grader, as he and his young, but impressive, race team will attempt to make history with the NeSmith Late Models in 2018. Martin will attempt to compete for the 2018 NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Rookie of the Year Award.

            Martin’s race team is led by 21-year-old Crew Chief Pearson Lee Williams, who knows how to get to Victory Lane at Cochran Motor Speedway. Williams has a NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win at the South Georgia Speed Plant.

            The “old man” on the Parker Martin Motorsports team is 24-year-old Cole Exum, who spent last season working with Bloomquist Motorsports. A year spent there is like getting a 4-year degree in dirt late model racing.  The regular season for the NeSmith Late Models begins on April 6-7 at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS with the two-race Rumble On The Gumbo.

            On Friday, the pit gate opens at 4 p.m. and the General Admission gate opens at 5 p.m. NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Pre-Race Registration and Technical Inspection will be from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Drivers Meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and Hot Laps are set for 7 p.m.

            On Saturday, the pit gate opens at 3 p.m., and the General Admission gate opens at 4 p.m. NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Pre-Race Registration and Technical Inspection will be from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Drivers Meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with Hot Laps set for 6 p.m.

            Cochran Motor Speedway is located at 241 Jim Wimberly Road, Cochran, GA 31014. For more information call 478-456-4036, or visit the track web site at www.cochranspeedway.com. You can also Like and Follow them on Facebook at Cochran Motor Speedway.

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.