Ronnie Johnson (left) is presented with his third straight NeSmith Cup by NeSmith Racing Founder and CEO Mike Vaughn (right) during the NeSmith Racing Annual Awards Banquet Saturday night at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, Georgia. Photo by Bruce Carroll/NeSmith Media
Multi-time NeSmith Racing National Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN and veteran racer and promoter Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS were among the many honored on Saturday night during the NeSmith Racing Annual Awards Banquet at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville, GA.
Johnson celebrated his unprecedented third straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Championship and his second straight Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series National Championship. Stokes was the recipient of the prestigious Chevrolet Performance Bob Cross Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award.
Also among the guests of honor were the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champions Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS, the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division National Champion Richie Stephens of Salem, AL, and the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series Champion, 14-year-old Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL.
In addition to the champions in each NeSmith Racing Division, the top ten drivers in each class were recognized for their accomplishments during the 2015 racing season. Special Awards went to the Cruise With The Champions Rookies of the Year in the NeSmith Late Model Tour and the Chevy Super Series, the Crew Chiefs of the Year in the NeSmith Late Model Tour, the Chevy Super Series, the NeSmith Weekly Racing Series, and the NeSmith Street Stocks.
Special Awards were also earned by the top Chassis Manufacturers in the NeSmith Late Model National Tour and Weekly Racing Series for Late Models, and the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Promoter of the Year.
The evening’s festivities began with a local tradition, as the famous siren at the Dawsonville Pool Room was sounded and heard throughout the community to acknowledge the NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Daytona International Speedway by Dawsonville resident Chase Elliott. The tradition started when, Elliott’s father Bill Elliott, began winning NASCAR races in mid 1980s.
NeSmith Racing Founder and CEO Mike Vaughn took to the stage to deliver the State of the Series Address, and spoke of how despite a lot of bad weather that tried to spoil the 2015 season, it could not deter how last year set the table for an increase in participation in the series from both competitors and tracks.
“We have split the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series into two separate seasons with the formation of the eight-race RockAuto.com Winter Shootout that will run in Florida and South Georgia during January and February, with the regular Touring Series beginning in April and running through November,” Vaughn said. “After having to reschedule the $10,000-to-win Chevrolet Performance World Championship race from November to January due to rain, we have discovered that the race does better with the competitors and the host track, Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL in January. This race will now be moved on the schedule to January in 2017 as a part of the Winter Shootout.”
Vaughn then announced a new $10,000-to-win race that will go on the NeSmith Late Model National Touring Schedule that brings back a Thanksgiving Weekend tradition to Columbus, MS with the running of the Possum Town Grand Prix at Magnolia Motor Speedway. Vaughn also said Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS and Flomaton Speedway in Flomaton Speedway will return to the National Touring schedule for 2016.
When it came to the Chevy Super Series schedule for 2016, Vaughn proudly announced the addition of two new tracks to the schedule the will end the 2016 season on Labor Day Weekend that took him back to his roots in racing.
“We are proud to add Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, GA and Rome Speedway in Rome, GA to be the finale of our 2016 season for the Chevy Super Series,” Vaughn said. “The Down In Dixie 30 at Dixie Speedway on September 3 and the return of the Rome Boss 100 on September 4 at Rome Speedway are two of few sanctioned races at these two tracks. Not only are these two races special to me for this season in showing how far this series has come in three years, but Dixie Speedway and Rome Speedway are where I caught the racing bug as a young boy and cut my teeth at.”
Vaughn also talked about the growth of the Weekly Racing Series for both Late Models and Street Stocks. He said there will be a record number of tracks this season with 23 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Late Model venues, and 19 NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division sanctioned tracks.
In bringing Johnson to the stage, banquet Emcee Roby Helm talked about how hard it was to win three straight National Championships in that it has rarely been done in any type and level of the sport, and said that there are three ways of doing things in Johnson’s shop – the right way, the wrong way, and Johnson’s way.
“If there was anything that has been said tonight that is the truth, it is what Roby Helm said about there being a right way, a wrong way, and my way,” Johnson said. “In my career, this has worked for me when it comes to what goes into the race car, but it has worked against me when it comes to keeping help to work on the race car. I’m pretty set in my ways, and that’s always been something that my help has had some trouble with through the years.”
The Johnson way of doing things must be catching on. As the Late Model racers came to the stage receive their awards during the course of the evening, just about all of them talked about how much they’ve learned by being able to be around and race with Johnson.
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Having just turned 60-years-old, Johnson is a fatherly figure to the younger drivers, but even at that age, Johnson has no thoughts of retirement, and said his age also gives him a new appreciation of winning races and championships.
“I just love doing what I do, but it is harder to do it all by myself, and like I said, I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to that,” Johnson said. “It seems like racing with all of these kids helps to keep me young at heart, but at the same time, I’ve learned to appreciate each win and each championship, especially the latest one, more and more because it could be my last one.”
In accepting the Chevrolet Performance Bob Cross Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award, Stokes reflected on his early career as a driver, a rebirth of that career, and his time as a dirt track promoter.
“This award means more to me than any race win, or championship I’ve ever received,” Stokes said. “I won a lot of Super Late Model races, traveled to a lot of different tracks and had a lot of fun. When my Mother passed away, I retired from driving race cars and started promoting and working on the track at Columbus Speedway.”
By 2003, General Motors Engineer Bob Cross worked with GM Performance, known today as Chevrolet Performance, to develop and produce the economical 604 and 602 sealed racing engines. These engines were built and sealed at the factory to prevent any expensive modifications.
Tragically, Bob Cross lost his life in an automobile accident on April 25, 2010, but his legacy lives on. The 604 today costs $5,795 and the 602, which has since been approved as an optional engine for the NeSmith Street Stocks, today costs $3,495.
“Another reason this award is special is because I owe my second driving career to Bob Cross for developing the 604 engine,” Stokes said. “When Mike Vaughn started a series for dirt late models powered by the 604 and 602 engines in 2005, I was back in the driving game. At my age, I don’t like working on the race cars as much as I did when I was younger, but I still have fun driving them!”
During Stokes second career as a driver, he continued his winning ways as a regular Top 10 competitor and winner on the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour, and he was also the 2010 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Championship. Today, Stokes is the co-owner and promoter of Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS, well-known as one of the top dirt tracks in the country.
Ryan King of Seymour, TN was the 2015 Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year with the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, and Adam Martin of Talladega, AL was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year in the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series. Johnson’s crew member Zack Kinsey was the Crew Member of the year for both Touring Series.
Brandon Underwood of Arnold’s championship team was the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Crew Chief of the Year, and Ashley Stephens with her brother Richie’s team was the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stock Division Crew Chief of the Year. Chris Creighton accepted the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Promoter of the Year Award for Donald Parker and Family along with Billy James of Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS.
Jamey Boland accepted the fifth NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Chassis Manufactures Challenge Series Championship for Trak-Star Race Cars built by Boland Performance of Cuba, AL. Rocket Chassis of Shinnston, WV won their first NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division Chassis Manufactures Challenge Series title.
Ryan Crane of Panama City, FL received a $1,000 check for winning the Beyea Headers Hard Charger of the Year Award for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Director Gordon Pirkle received a Special Contribution Award from NeSmith Racing for the efforts of him and his staff in making the hall available to NeSmith Racing for their Annual Awards Banquet.
The next two events for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be the finale for the RockAuto.com Winter Shootout Series with Daytime Duels at Cochran Motor Speedway in Cochran, GA on February 27 and 28. The Saturday afternoon February 27 race will be 40 laps and $2,000-to-win, and the Sunday afternoon February 28 race will be 50 laps and $2,500-to-win. Gates open 10 a.m. with racing at 2:30 p.m. each day.
For more information, visit NesmithRacing.com.
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