Jack Nosbisch, Jr. celebrates his Thursday night victory in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season opener at East Bay Raceway Park. Photo courtesy East Bay Raceway Park
Jack Nosbisch Jr. of Riverview, FL won the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap season opener at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL on Thursday night driving the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Rocket in a blanket finish with Dennis “Rambo” Franklin of Gaffney, SC in the AES Racing Special.
Nosbisch took the lead from Franklin of lap 29 and began to pull away, but with five laps to go, Franklin caught Nosbisch and went to the inside, as the lead duo raced side-by-side to the checkered flag. Nosbisch was able to hold a .221 second advantage at the checkered flag.
“That was some fun racing and Franklin raced me clean,” Nosbisch said. “In those last few laps, I heard Franklin underneath me, and I kept trying to close the door on the bottom of the track, so he wouldn’t get a run on me.”
Franklin said he also appreciated the clean race Nosbisch gave him, as he tried to overcome a stumbling carburetor. Both drivers liked the new red clay surface at East Bay Raceway Park.
“My carburetor was stumbling for most of the race, but we raced clean,” Franklin said. “I think if it wasn’t for the carburetor, we would have had something for him. The track was good all night, as it had a lot of traction at the start of the race and slicked off at the end.”
“The track was great all night long, as we could race up high, down low, and just about any place we wanted to,” Nosbisch said. “This was the first race for us on this new clay, and I think we learned a lot tonight to make us better for tomorrow night and Saturday night.”
Chris Cantrell of Chester, SC finished third and was the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race. Cantrell had a good night, as he was the fast qualifier for the event, out-timing the 54-car field with a lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval in 15.865 seconds.
Austin Hubbard of Sanford, DE took the fourth spot after starting 18th and Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS was fifth. Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA started 21st and finished sixth to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award.
Dave Schmauss of Dover, FL took the seventh spot, and Devin Dixon of Apollo Beach, FL finished eighth. Phillip Cobb of Apollo Beach, FL drove to a ninth-place finish, and Larry Harrod of Plains, GA rounded out the top ten.
The four 12-lap heat races were won by Franklin, Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV, Nosbisch, and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN. Gentry was testing the new $150 Bilstein Spec Shocks as a part of the company’s R&D Program.
In other preliminary action, the two 15-lap Brandon Best Western Hotel B-Main races were won by William Thomas of Phenix City, AL and Hubbard.
When the field took the green flag to kick off the 36th Annual Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park, Horton took the lead followed by Franklin, Nosbisch, Gentry and Cantrell. On lap five, Gentry lost the power steering belt and he was passed by Cantrell for fourth with an inside move in turn one.
Gentry lost a few more spots on lap six when Stokes got by him in turn one for fifth, while Dixon and Cobb dropped Gentry to eighth in turn four. By lap 11, Horton began to working the cars on the tail of the lead lap. Mark Tice of Avon, MS spun the Precision Marine Trak-Star in one to bring out the first of eight caution flags.
Horton had clear race track in front of him for the “Dixie Style” double-file restart followed by Franklin, Nosbisch, Cantrell, Stokes, Dixon, Cobb, Gentry, Doug Watson of Plant City, FL, and Travis Varnadore of Dover, FL
Varnadore spun in turn two on the restart to bring out the second caution flag of the race, and that moved the defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion Dan Breuer of Troutman, NC into the top ten for the next restart. After the field went green, Cobb stalled in turn two on lap 12 while running seventh to bring out the third caution flag.
When the green light brought the field back up to race speed, Nosbisch moved up to race Franklin side-by-side for the second spot on lap 14, but Franklin was able to hold on to the spot. Todd Morrow of East Ridge, TN spun in turn four on lap 18 to bring out the fourth caution flag.
The top ten got busy in the middle laps of the race. Horton held an eight car-length advantage over Franklin and Nosbisch, but Dixon was on the move as he passed Stokes for the fifth spot on lap 20, and then got by Cantrell for fourth on lap 25. While Horton looked like he was on the verge of checking out on the field, his night ended suddenly on lap 26.
Going into turn one, Horton went up in smoke to bring out the caution flag. He coasted around the high side of the track as fire began come from underneath the car down the backstretch. Horton stopped in turn three where he was met by the track safety crew, who extinguished the flames, and Horton was uninjured. Horton earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.
Franklin inherited the lead followed by Nosbisch, Dixon, Cantrell, Stokes, Schmauss, Hubbard, Thomas, Gentry, and Walker Arthur of Forrest, VA in the Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Rocket. Stokes passed Cantrell for fourth on the restart, and began to chase down Dixon to challenge for third.
Dixon spun out of the third spot in turn four on lap 29 to bring out the sixth caution flag of the race. Franklin led Nosbisch, Stokes, Cantrell, Schmauss, Thomas, Hubbard, Gentry, Turner, and Cobb down for the restart.
When the green flag came out, Nosbisch looked to the inside of Franklin to challenge for the lead, and made what would be the winning pass coming off the fourth turn. Cantrell got by Franklin for the second spot on lap 30, but one lap later, Franklin would reclaim the spot. Thomas spun out of the sixth spot on lap 32 to bring out the seventh caution flag of the race.
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Gentry was trying to hang on to a top ten spot driving a car without power steering, but he spun in turn four on lap 33 to bring out the final caution flag. Nosbisch could not pull away from Franklin on the restart, as Rambo began to close in, and then look inside of the leader on lap 36.
The lead duo put on a side-by-side racing show to the checkered flag bringing the crowd to their feet with Nosbisch taking his second career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win, with both victories coming at his home track.
The 54-car field for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series season opener represented 14 different states and one province of Canada. There were 15 drivers from Florida, nine drivers each from Tennessee and Mississippi, three drivers from North Carolina, two drivers each from Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, West Virginia, Indiana, and Virginia, one driver representing Missouri, Maryland, Delaware and Arkansas, and two drivers from Ontario Canada.
The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series returns to East Bay Raceway Park on Friday night with another 40-lap $2,000-to-win event, and again on Saturday night with a 50-lap $3,000-to-win show.
For more information, visit nesmithracing.com.
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Winternationals Night One Results – Feb. 2, 2012
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER
2. 1 27c Dennis Franklin Gaffney, SC 40 $1,000
3. 5 114 Chris Cantrell (R) Chester, SC 40 $700
4. 18 37c Austin Hubbard Sanford, DE 40 $550
5. 6 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $500
6. 21 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $525
7. 9 105 Dave Schmauss Dover, FL 40 $375
8. 10 95 Devin Dixon Apollo Beach, FL 40 $350
9. 8 32 Phillip Cobb (R) Apollo Beach, FL 40 $325
10. 13 27 Larry Harrod Plains, GA 40 $300
11. 4 56 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 40 $275
12. 23 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 40 $250
13. 19 T1 Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN 40 $225
14. 7 07 Doug Watson Plant City, FL 40 $200
15. 24 24 Mark Tice
16. 17 22 William Thomas Phenix City, AL 31 $150
17. 2 11 Doug Horton Bruceton Mills, WV 25 $140
18. 16 87 Walker Arthur Forrest, VA 25 $125
19. 20 21p Josh Peacock Dover, FL 25 $125
20. 11 B7 Dan Breuer
21. 12 14 Maverick Varnadore Dover, FL 11 $125
22. 14 18 Chase Edge Lafayette, AL 9 $125
23. 15 B69 Bryan Bernhardt Clearwater, FL 9 $125
24. 22 7b Jim Beeman North Vernon, IN 9 $125
