Evan Ellis (73) held off Ronnie Johnson (5) to score the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series Friday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway. Photo by Brian McLeod/NeSmith Media
Five different lead exchanges among three different drivers spiced a down-to-the-wire Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series event at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on Friday night.
In the end, it was NeSmith Weekly Racing Series track regular Evan Ellis who scratched and clawed in the high groove, upending reigning series titlist Ronnie Johnson to earn a last-lap victory by a very narrow .110-second margin at the stripe.
Ellis’ victory in the first-ever Hoosier Race Tire “Road to Dega” qualifying event earned him a chance to compete for a $4,000 bonus in the Dega 100 slated Oct. 3 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. The top four finishers all earned eligibility status for the much-anticipated event, which made runner-up finisher Johnson, third-place finisher Johnny Stokes and fourth-place finisher Tyler Crowder all eligible for the bonus prize at TST.
Crowder’s finish came after a start from the next-to-last position in the 23-car field, while Mario Gresham started 19th and placed fifth, and will have to continue his quest for Hoosier Race Tire “Road to Dega” eligibility at the next designated Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series event slated July 17 at Penton Raceway in LaFayette, AL.
The fourth-starting Ellis led only two circuits in the 40-lap affair at the 3/8-mile oval, engaging Johnson in a late-race battle after struggling with brake issues in the middle stages of the event. Ellis, who adjusted the braking system under caution with 11 laps to go, rebounded to lead the 37th circuit. Johnson paced the next two laps, and then Ellis rolled the top side on the final circuit to steal the victory away from the Chattanooga, TN, veteran.
“Ronnie (Johnson) is a great race car driver, and you know before it even happens that you’re gonna have to race him hard to beat him,” Ellis said. “We went on a different tire than most of ‘em used, and while my car would run on the bottom earlier in the race, it really wanted to be up top where I could keep my momentum.
“The right-front brake started to lock up about the middle stages, and we fell off the pace a little bit. I fiddled with the three-wheel braking a little bit, and that freed everything up with 11 laps to go, and all of a sudden it was like we had a different car.”
Johnson, who is the current series points leader, met Ellis in the winner’s circle to congratulate the winner, and the pair laughed together as they traded a few quick war stories about the thrilling finish.
“He (Ellis) just made that top work better than we did,” Johnson said. “I guess he’d made that work a little bit earlier in the race, so it wasn’t surprising that he tried it late in the race when he had the opportunity. I tried to move up there myself to run and see how it’d be for us, but our car wouldn’t come off the corner up there, so we had to use the bottom, and he got us. We’ll take the second-place finish, and a good points night.”
Johnson led three different times for 37 circuits, while Ellis paced the field on two occasions for two laps. Adam Martin paced a single lap, taking the point briefly from Johnson on the 11th circuit before fading to a sixth-place showing.
Several crashes slowed the early stages of the race, the first of which involved polesitter and fastest qualifier Ryan King of Anniston, AL, who spun between the first and second turns on the opening circuit, collecting Johnson’s machine and triggering a multicar melee. King went to the rear of the field and eventually completed 25 laps, placing 18th.
The second multicar scramble occurred in turn two with three laps completed, and sent Eric Cooley’s machine airborne over the front of Ryan Colby’s car. Neither driver was hurt, although Colby was done for the night. Cooley continued for 23 laps and was listed 19th.
Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series
Magnolia Motor Speedway – Columbus, MS
Race Results – July 10, 2015
POS STRT CAR# DRIVER
1 4 73 Evan Ellis Plantersville, MS 40 $2,000
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3 16 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 40 $700
4 22 47 Tyler Crowder Lamont, FL 40 $550
5 19 21 Mario Gresham (R) Rome, GA 40 $500
6 6 47a Adam Martin (R) Talladega, AL 40 $425
7 15 2s Kyle Shaw Millport, AL 40 $375
8 13 15 Tim Busha Boaz, AL 40 $350
9 8 95 Brandon Williams (R) Crossville, TN 40 $325
10 14 38 Dillon Tidmore Glencoe, AL 40 $300
11 18 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 40 $275
12 21 23 Trevor Thompson (R) Dallas, GA 39 $250
13 11 J8 Jadon Frame Dechert, TN 39 $225
14 5 110 Brent Barrett Cleveland, MS 39 $200
15 17 58 Tony Thompson Ohatchee, AL 39 $175
16 23 72 Frank Wilson Milton, FL 39 $150
17 20 24 Barry Goodman Spring City, TN 30 $140
18 1 55 Ryan King Anniston, AL 25 $125
19 10 33B Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 23 $125
20 12 47r Ross Martin Talladega, AL 11 $125
21 2 99G Jacob Grizzle Blairsville, GA 7 $125
22 9 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA 7 $125
23 7 521 Ryan Colby Greenville, MS 2 $125
ENTRIES: 23
FAST QUALIFIER: King, 14.552 seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: 5
LAP LEADERS: Johnson, 1-10; Adam Martin, 11; Johnson 12-36; Ellis, 37; Johnson 38-39; Ellis, 40.
LAPS LED: Johnson, 37; Ellis, 2; Adam Martin, 1.
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