NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES WEEK 20 PREVIEW

               CARTERSVILLE , GA – Week 20 of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series season will feature 11 races at ten tracks with six races in the West Region and five races in the East Region.  Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS and Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS continue to battle for the West Region title, while Chase Edge of Lafayette, GA waits for a challenger in the East Region.

               Three Friday night events will open the NeSmith Chevrolet West Region Week 20 action at Batesville Motor Speedway in Batesville , AR , Greenville Speedway in Greenville , MS , and Hattiesburg Motorsports Park in Hattiesburg , MS .  On Saturday night, Greenville Speedway , Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson , MS and Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian , MS will host West Region events.

               The NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region will open Week 20 events on Friday night at Penton Raceway in Penton , AL .  On Saturday night, East Region races will be held at Flomaton Speedway in Flomaton , AL , Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville , TN , New Senoia Raceway in Senoia , GA , and Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga , AL .

               Stokes leads the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS West Region standings with 938 points based on his best 16 finishes and the highest Event Point Average (EPA) among the top ten in the West Region standings at 49.25.  Stokes will have to finish third or higher to net any points, as a 47 point fourth-place finish is his lowest point night.  After that, the lowest point night for Stokes is a 48.

               Keeton is second with 887 points based on his best 16 finishes with eight wins, 51 points behind Stokes, who has a series-leading ten wins.  When bonus points are taken into account, Stokes has 150 for competing in six NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring events, and Keeton has 100 for competing in four National events. 

If Keeton earns the 50 points available to him on Labor Day weekend when the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National Tour visits Whynot Motorsports Park and Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS, he could potentially be only one point behind Stokes.  Keeton has two 47s to try and net on this weekend.  Keeton has the second-highest West Region EPA among the top ten at 49.19.

There are two drivers in particular that both Stokes and Keeton need to keep their respective eyes on in the coming weeks.  Justin McRee of Tuscaloosa, AL and Wesley Greene of Winona, MS are currently outside the top ten of the East Region standings, but they can shoot up through the top ten of the points chase in the seven remaining weeks of competition.

McRee is 12^th with 630 points, including all of his eligible 150 bonus points and Greene is 16^th with 589 points, including 100 bonus points.  Both McRee and Greene have just ten starts which means they can earn full points in six more West Region events.  McRee has six wins and an EPA of 48, while Greene has eight wins and an EPA of 48.9.

Edge has a 55-point lead over Ryan King of Anniston , AL in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series East Region standings.  Edge has 903 points based on his best 16 finishes with four wins, including 125 bonus points, and the highest EPA among the top ten in the East Region standings at 48.63.

This weekend, Edge will have to finish third or better to net any points, as he has a pair of 47s as his lowest point totals in his best 16 finishes.  All of the drivers in the top ten of the East Region have either reached the 16-race mark, or are one race away from getting there, except one.

Terrance Nowell of Phenix City, AL has an opportunity to get into the East Region title hunt from the seventh spot with 749 points in just 14 starts, including 75 bonus points, and four wins.  Nowell can earn full points in two more East Region events, and can also earn 75 more bonus points in the three NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National events on the schedule before the Weekly Racing Series season ends on October 3.

If Nowell can capture a pair of wins and his 75 bonus points, Nowell could potentially move to within four points of Edge, provided the point leader earns his remaining 25 bonus points.

The three NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS National events on the schedule before the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series ends are on September 3-4 at Whynot Motorsports Park, September 5 at Magnolia Motor Speedway, and on September 17-18 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Dirt Late Models are powered by the economical GM Performance Crate Engines that are built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications.  The 400 horsepower aluminum-head 604 engine costs $5,295 and the 350 horsepower steel-head 602 engine costs $3,295 and gets a 150 pound weight break.

These engines are in stock for free next day delivery anywhere in the Southeastern United States at NeSmith Chevrolet in Claxton , GA , the nation’s number one GM Powertrain Dealer.  To place an order, call Tim Bland toll-free at 1-877-497-3624.  There is no waiting for an engine at NeSmith Chevrolet.  You can buy it today, and race it tomorrow.

For a complete rundown of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings in the East and West Regions, and links to the NeSmith Chevrolet WRS tracks’ web sites, visit the NeSmith Racing web site at www.nesmithracing.com.  Also 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.

NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES WEEK 20 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

WEST REGION:

August 13:

BATESVILLE MOTOR SPEEDWAY – BATESVILLE, AR
GREENVILLE SPEEDWAY – GREENVILLE, MS
HATTIESBURG MOTORSPORTS PARK – HATTIESBURG, MS

August 14:

GREENVILLE SPEEDWAY – GREENVILLE , MS
JACKSON MOTOR SPEEDWAY – JACKSON, MS
WHYNOT MOTORSPORTS PARK – MERIDIAN , MS

EAST REGION:

August 13:

PENTON RACEWAY – PENTON , AL

August 14:

FLOMATON SPEEDWAY – FLOMATON, AL
MOUNTAIN RACEWAY PARK – MARYVILLE, TN
NEW SENOIA RACEWAY – SENOIA, GA
TALLADEGA SHORT TRACK – EASTABOGA, AL

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, and is also the nation’s number one volume dealer of Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC cars, trucks, SUVs and vans with free delivery anywhere in the Southeast.  GM Performance Parts is an Official Sponsor of the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series and Hard Charger Award sponsor.  Hoosier Race 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.  NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Contingency Sponsors for 2010 are Dominator Race Products, Race Car Engineering, KRC , Joe Gibbs Driven, Maximum Signs and Graphics, Mike Custom Tanks, Shorty’s Shock Service, Warrior Race Cars , Trak-Star Race Cars, GRT Race Cars, TNT Race Cars, and Rocket Chassis.