John Ownbey drove to his third NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win of the season on Saturday night at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. Photo by Bruce Carroll/NeSmith Media
John Ownbey of Cleveland, TN held off a late-race challenge from Riley Hickman during the last ten laps of the race, and drove the Auto Depot Special to his third NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win of the season on Saturday night at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, KY.
Ownbey led the 50-lap race three times for a total of 40 laps. Just when it looked like Ownbey had the field covered, Hickman showed up and showed out after a lap 36 restart. Hickman had incentive to win, as he was racing for a $1,000 bonus if he could repeat Friday night’s win at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway.
As the lead duo worked through heavy lapped traffic, Hickman went between Ownbey and a lapped car to take the lead on lap 39. Next, it was Hickman’s turn to lead through a pile of lapped traffic, and Ownbey got around Hickman on lap 48, and then went on to take the $2,500 win.
“We ran a lot of the race in a mist, and then it got a little heavier in the middle of the race,” Ownbey said. “During the last caution period, we were rolling around the outside trying to keep the moisture from running down the track. When we restarted, it was a little damp where I was running on the bottom, and Riley was in the faster groove on the outside. By the time the bottom got dried out, Riley got by for the lead, but the bottom came back to me, we got some momentum, and I got back by him.”
After a fourth-place finish in Friday night’s NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series race, Ownbey admitted that he had to learn how to properly get around Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in that event.
“I’m not used to running a track this big, so I was wanting to turn into the corner about halfway down the straightaways,” Ownbey said. “We’ve never traveled much until we started going to the NeSmith races, but we’re having a lot of fun doing it, and learning new things. If we thought we were going to run this well, we might have started at the beginning of the season.”
In four starts with the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, Ownbey has three wins, one fourth-place finish, and two Fast Qualifier Awards. Four races and 392 points have blasted Ownbey into the 17th spot in the National point standings.
Hickman led the race for nine laps and finished second, while Ashley Newman drove to a third-place finish.
Two-time and defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Ronnie Johnson was fourth and, after starting 14th, was the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Race. Matt Henderson finished fifth and was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race.
Troy English, Jake Teague, Eric Cooley, Tait Davenport and Ryan King rounded out the top ten. Johnson still leads the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point standings by 90 points over King.
In preliminary action, Ownbey was the fast qualifier among the 29 entrants with a lap around the 3/8-mile dirt oval in 15.840 seconds to earn the pole position for the main event. The two ten lap B-Main Races were won by Teague and Todd Morrow.
Ownbey and Hickman led the 24-car main event field down for the green flag to start the race, and Ownbey took the lead, while King came from his third starting spot to take second, with Hickman in third, Newman in fourth, and Henderson in fifth. Cooley got by Henderson on lap two to take over the fifth spot.
King got to the inside of Ownbey in turn four, and came off the corner to lead the race at the start finish line. Ownbey got a run on the outside coming off the second turn on lap four to retake the lead. Newman made a strong inside move on lap five to pass both Hickman and King to take over the second spot.
Ownbey began to encounter the cars on the tail end of the lead lap on the 11th tour of the race, and had an eight car-length lead on Newman. Cooley made another move towards the front of the pack on lap 12 when he passed King for the fourth spot.
By lap 15, Newman began to close on Ownbey, but the leader made the right moves at the right time to open back up a 12 car-length lead by lap 17. By the halfway point of the race on lap 25, Ownbey had a full straightaway lead on Newman.
Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS brought out the first caution flag on lap 27 when he stalled the Magnolia Auto Transport Special in turn four. That brought about the first “Dixie-Style” Double-File Restart with Ownbey leading Newman, Hickman, Cooley, King, Henderson, Chase Edge, Teague, Johnson and Davenport, who were all doubled up behind the leader.
When the green flag flew, King sailed around the outside of Cooley for the fourth spot and brought Henderson and Johnson with him into the fifth and sixth spots respectively. Ownbey once again pulled away, and by lap 35 had opened up his biggest lead of the race with a half straightaway advantage over Newman and Hickman, who were battling each other for second.
Ownbey’s big lead didn’t last long, as Gavin Landers in turn two to bring out the caution for the second time of the race on lap 37. For the restart, Ownbey had Newman and Hickman doubled up behind him. Newman chose the inside for the restart, which put Hickman to his right on the outside.
When the green flag came out, Hickman came alive. He sailed around the outside of Newman to take second, and then he was all over Ownbey like a cheap suit. Hickman stayed on the outside, and passed Ownbey for the lead on lap 39. By lap 45, Hickman had a five car-length advantage over Ownbey, and it appeared that he was on his way to the bonus money for two straight wins.
Hickman chose the outside to try and get by the lap car of Edge in turns three and four, and that opened the inside lane up for Ownbey. Coming off the fourth turn, Ownbey got underneath and by Hickman before he could clear Edge, and took the lead. The race wasn’t over yet because there were two laps to go, and more lapped cars to slice through.
On the final lap, in the final turn, Ownbey came up on the lapped car of Ben Garner. Garner held his line, and the leaders had to choose how they were going to decide the outcome of the race.
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The next two races for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on September 5 and 6 for a pair of 40-lap $2,000-to-win races over the Labor Day Holiday Weekend. The September 5 race will be the completion of the rained out May 24 event.
For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at NesmithRacing.com.
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway – Calvert City, KY
Race Results – Aug. 29, 2015
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 1 44 John Ownbey Cleveland, TN 50 $2,500
2. 2 1v Riley Hickman Cleveland, TN 50 $1,250
3. 5 73 Ashley Newman Ripley, TN 50 $850
4. 14 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $825
5. 4 H2 Matt Henderson (R) Loudon, TN 50 $775
6. 7 6 Troy English Calvert City, KY 50 $550
7. 11 117 Jake Teague Oliver Springs, TN 50 $500
8. 6 33b Eric Cooley Fulton, MS 50 $450
9. 10 18d Tait Davenport Paducah, KY 50 $400
10. 3 30 Ryan King (R) Seymour, TN 50 $500
11. 16 10 Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN 50 $350
12. 13 00 Ricky Waggoner Martin, TN 50 $300
13. 17 10c Ryan Crane (R) Panama City, FL 50 $405
14. 8 18L Brent Lewis Harrisburg, IL 50 $260
15. 9 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 49 $375
16. 23 22 Will Roland (Y) Jasper, GA 49 $240
17. 24 00g Ben Garner Greenfield, TN 49 $220
18. 19 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 48 $325
19. 21 77 Gavin Landers Batesville, AR 34 $200
20. 12 8a Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN 32 $200
21. 15 36 Evan Taylor Woodlawn, TN 29 $200
22. 20 98 Eric Hickerson Linden, TN 25 $200
23. 18 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 25 $200
24. 22 89 Credence Mott Vienna, IL 21 $200
Entries: 29
Fast Qualifier: Ownbey, 15.840 Seconds
Provisionals: Roland and Garner
Lead Changes: 4
Lat Leaders: Ownbey, 1-2; King, 3; Ownbey, 4-38; Hickman, 39-47; Ownbey, 48-50
Laps Led: Ownbey, 40; Hickman, 9; King, 1
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