PEACOCK GETS FIRST NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS WIN AT SCREVEN

               SYLVANIA, GA – Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA picked his first win of the season Saturday night in the NeSmith Chevrolet “Salute To The Armed Forces” 50 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Screven Motor Speedway.  Peacock took the lead on lap 35 and led the rest of the way in the Nasworthy Mechanical Bullitt.

               Peacock made it a “Clean Sweep” of the event, as he was also the Fast Qualifier and took his series-leading third Pole Award of the season.  Peacock, who just turned 20-years-old, out qualified the 27 entrants with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 15.434 seconds.  Peacock was also the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race.

Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA raced to his first win of the season on Saturday night in the NeSmith Chevrolet "Salute To The Armed Forces" 50 for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, GA (NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS File Photo)

               Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA led the first 34 laps of the race, and finished second in the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT, followed by Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA, who finished third in the Scotty’s Muffler TNT.  Peacock fell as far back to third spot, but rallied back to make an inside move on Brindle coming off the fourth turn on lap 35.

               “I saw Chip start pushing up the track in the middle of the turns, I saw an opening and went for it,” Peacock said.  “I’d like to thank Chip for racing me clean.  He’s my buddy.”

               The second-place finish for Brindle increased his point lead in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, but he now has a new challenger behind him in the second spot in Jay Blair of Angie , LA.   Blair was able to move into the second spot in the points chase with a fourth-place finish, a run that Brindle made possible.  Brindle has 580 points, and Blair has 532 points.

               Blair had problems with his J&A Trucking Mastersbilt in hot laps, but was able to find a ride in Brindle’s back-up car for qualifying.  Without ever sitting in that race car, Blair went out and qualified fifth quick, and then drove the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT to a fourth-place finish in the race.

               “I had a mechanical problem with my car in hot laps, and I was parked next to Chip in the pits,” Blair said.  “Chip came over and told me he had a back-up car in the trailer if I wanted to take a lap in it.  I said I’d qualify it and see what happens.”

               Jason Hiett of Lincoln, AL took the fifth spot in the N&N Motors GRT, and Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA finished sixth in the Hays Family Racing/Barto Enterprises Warrior.  Terry Lumley of Twin Cities, GA was seventh in the Cabinets By Design Barry Wright, and Chad Wallace of LaGrange, GA drove the Mason Racing GRT to an eighth-place finish.

               Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA finished ninth in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket, and Ed Basey of Evans, GA rounded out the top ten in the Garnto and Gearig Brothers Construction Barry Wright.  Ted Lackey of Munford, AL finished 14^th after starting his C.S. Beatty Construction Warrior from the 24^th spot and earned the Hard Charger of the Race Award.

               Brindle took the lead at the start of the race followed by Peacock, Chris Tays of Corinth , MS in the Bud Coley Trucking Trak-Star, Lumley, and Blair.  Tays got by Peacock with an inside move down the backstretch on lap 11.  Lap 20 saw Nipper get around Lumley for the fourth spot, and then Blair and Hiett both passed Lumley for the fifth and sixth spots respectively on lap 25.

                 Peacock saw able to pass Tays for the second spot on lap 27, and then began to chase down Brindle in lapped traffic.  On lap 35, Peacock saw an opening coming off the fourth turn, and made the winning pass for the lead.  In the meantime behind the leaders, Nipper was beginning to challenge Tays for the third spot.

               Nipper got under Tays going into turn three on a lap 38 restart.  Tays slid up the banking in turn four, got his car loose, and slid to a stop sitting sideways on the front straightaway coming off the corner.

Just as the caution flag came out, Mike Parkerson of Columbus , GA hit the front of Tays’ car, destroying it.  Tays and Parkerson were uninjured in the accident, and Tays earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck of the Race Award.

               For the next ten laps, Peacock was able to keep a four car-length advantage over Brindle, but with two laps to go, Brindle caught the leader, and stuck the nose of his car underneath Peacock to make a bid for the point.  Peacock said he heard his challenger beside him, but was able to pull away in the last to laps for the victory.

               The next two events for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour will be at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, AL on Friday night June 20, and at Columbus Speedway in Columbus, MS on Saturday night, June 21.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 7 AT SCREVEN MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN SYLVANIA , GA ON 5/24/07 :

POS       STRT     CAR #   DRIVER                             HOMETOWN                   LAPS     $ WON 
1.            1             12           Hunter Peacock (R)         Macon, GA                        50           $3,000
2.            2             38c         Chip Brindle                     Chatsworth , GA                               50           $1,500
3.            6             1n           Jody Nipper                      Gray, GA                           50           $1,250
4.            5             3x           Jay Blair                             Angie , LA                            50           $1,100
5.            8             1             Jason Hiett (R)                 Lincoln, AL                        50           $1,000
6.            14           87           Derrick Rainey                 Powder Springs, GA       50           $850
7.            3             14           Terry Lumley                    Twin City, GA                  50           $750
8.            12           34           Chad Wallace (R)             LaGrange, GA                  50           $700
9.            7             F9          Frank Ingram                   Woodstock , GA                50           $650
10.          18           0             Ed Basey                            Evans, GA                          50           $600
11.          11           66k        Scott Knowles (R)            Lanett , AL                           50           $550
12.          17           33c         Eric Cooley (R)                Fulton , MS                         50           $500
13.          16           58           Larry Boutwell                Baker, FL                          50           $450
14.          24           41           Ted Lackey                        Munford, AL                     50           $500
15.          10           21x         Bob Robertson                 Evans , GA                           50           $350
16.          23           19           Marcus Minga (R)           Shannon, MS                     50           $300
17.          13           28           Brandon Overton             Appling, GA                      50           $280
18.          9             10           Matthew Turner                              Dawsonville, GA                             50               $250
19.          21           71           Gene Nasworthy                             Gray, GA                           48           $250
20.          20           16           Jeff Fields                          Aragon, GA                       38           $250
21.          4             8             Chris Tays                          Corinth , MS                      37           $250
22.          19           41p        Mike Parkerson                              Columbus, GA                  37           $250
23.          22           04           Blake Stewart                   Centre, AL                          34           $250
24.          25           47           Clark Gearig                    Evans, GA                          13           $250
25.          15           51           Troy Gearig                      Stapleton, GA                   11           $250
26.          26           27           Jeff Fortner                       Vidalia, GA                       DNS       $50

ENTRIES:  27
FAST QUALIFIER:  Peacock, 15.434 Seconds
PROVISIONALS:  None
TRACK PROVISIONAL:  C. Gearig
LEAD CHANGES:  1
LAP LEADERS:  Brindle, 1-34; Peacock, 35-50
LAPS LED:  Brindle, 34; Peacock 16
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE:  Peacock
HARD CHARGER AWARD:  Lackey (started 24^th and finished 14^th)
DOMINATOR RACE PRODUCTS HARD LUCK AWARD:  Tays
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Hiett
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Wallace
MAXIMUM SIGNS 9^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Ingram
OLD 29 GOLF CARTS 10^TH-PLACE AWARD:  Basey
CAUTIONS:  7
TIME OF THE RACE:  39 Minutes, 34.093 Seconds

QUALIFYING (Top 10 Transfer To Main Event):