Tait Davenport of Benton, KY drove the #18 Murtco, Inc. Special to his first career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division win in the $2,500-to-win 50-lap race on Saturday night at his home track, Clayhill Motorsports in Atwood, TN. Photo courtesy Clayhill Motorsports
Tait Davenport knew his home track. He knew what to do and when to do it. It was that knowledge that led him to his first NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division win on Saturday night at Clayhill Motorsports in Atwood, TN driving the Murtco, Inc. Special.
After starting eighth, Davenport used the high groove of Clayhill Motorsports to take the lead from Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL on lap four, and then held off a late-race challenge to take the win and pick up the $2,500 top prize in the 50-lap main event. Bronson finished second in Brandon Ford Warrior, .610 seconds behind Davenport at the checkered flag.
“When I race weekly here, everybody runs the bottom groove, but I knew from past experience, the high groove was fast for about three laps,” Davenport said. “I was able to use that top groove to get to the front early in the race, and once I got the lead, I kept it on the bottom. During the cautions, I would move up and check out the top groove to make sure there was nothing left up there.”
And what a difference 24 hours makes for a race car driver. On Friday night, Davenport was down on himself after spinning out on his own while running second in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series race at Tennessee National Speedway in Hohenwald, TN. During the pre-race registration on Saturday, Davenport asked series officials if they had a Dumbest Move Of The Race Award for the Friday night race.
“When I got here today, I was still pretty down on myself for what happened on Friday night, but I feel pretty awesome now,” Davenport said in victory lane. “Not only do I redeem myself with a win at my home track, but I also get to help raise some money here tonight for the American Cancer Society.”
Race fans bid at an auction during intermission for a six-lap ride at race speed in the two-seat “Ride For Life” dirt late model with Davenport, Ricky Waggoner of Martin, TN, Ronnie Cooper of McKenzie, TN, and Ashley Newman of Ripley, TN to benefit the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. The $500 bid for a ride with Davenport was the highest bid among the four drivers.
Point leader Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL finished third in the Sparks Motorsports Special, and gained another two points on National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN, who finished fourth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special. Hollingsworth now holds a ten-point lead over Johnson in the battle for the $20,000 Championship.
Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS took the fifth spot in the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT, and Josh Adkins of Talladega, AL was sixth in the Yellow Hammer Construction Special. Cooper finished seventh in the Ronnie Cooper Trucking Rocket, and T.J. Hays of Bradford, TN drove the 45 Race Shop GRT from the 21st starting spot to an eighth-place finish to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award.
Ben Garner of Greenfield, TN finished ninth in the Warren Agronomy Special, and newlywed Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS rounded out the top ten in the Custom Spraying, Inc. GRT. Bronson was the Fast Qualifier with a lap around the 3/8-mile clay oval in 15.826 seconds, and he was also the Rookie of the Race. The two eight-lap B-Main races were won by Johnson and Newman in the Greg’s Sawmill Special.
Bronson took the lead at the start of the race from the pole position, but behind him, Justin McRee of Cottondale, AL and defending NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA, who started second and third respectively, battled side-by-side for the second spot down the backstretch on the opening lap.
McRee and Turner tangled in turn three to bring out the first of nine caution flags. Both cars were towed to the pit area, with left-rear damage on McRee’s High Roller Race Cars Special, and right-front damage on Turner’s J.T. Kerr Racing Equipment Special. McRee, who was third in the point standings was done for the night and earned the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. Turner returned to the race, but was only able to complete five laps.
After the complete restart, Bronson again took the point followed by Barrett, Stokes, the high-riding Davenport, and Troy English of Calvert City, KY in the West Kentucky Auto Sales Special. Davenport sailed around the outside of Stokes for the third spot on lap two, and then repeated the move down the backstretch on lap three to take second from Barrett.
Newman brought out the second caution flag on lap four when he made hard contact with the wall in turn three, ending his evening. With Bronson out front in a row by himself, the field doubled up behind the leader for the “Dixie-Style” double-file restart, with Davenport choosing the outside, and the third-place car of Barrett to his left on the inside.
When the green flag came back out, Davenport got a run on Bronson down the backstretch, pulled alongside in turn three, and completed the pass for the lead coming off the fourth turn. Once out front, Davenport gave up the high side of the race track and dropped down to cover the bottom groove.
English also used the high part of the track to move up from fifth to third on the restart, but he would not move any further towards the front of the pack, as he spun in turn three on lap seven to bring out the caution flag. Davenport led Bronson, Hollingsworth, Stokes, Garner, Johnson, Barrett, Todd Morrow of East Ridge, TN in the A Plus Collision Center GRT, Adkins and Cooper down for the restart.
Johnson was on the move when the green flag came back out, and passed Stokes for the fourth spot in lap ten. Garner gave up the sixth spot on lap 11 when he cut down a tire to bring out the caution flag. Hollingsworth started on the outside for the double-file restart, and got by Bronson to take over the second spot.
Hollingsworth kept up his momentum to pull alongside Davenport to challenge for the lead, but Davenport was able to hang on to keep the point. Johnson continued his charge to the front of the pack when he passed Bronson for the third spot on lap 13. Davenport began to encounter heavy lapped traffic on lap 21 while Hollingsworth, Johnson and Bronson closed in behind the leader.
Bronson was able to get by Johnson on lap 25 to reclaim the third spot in heavy lapped traffic. The traffic would be a non-issue after a lap 29 caution flag when Craig Lindsey of Trenton, TN spun the Barnett Farms Special in turn two. The battle for third continued on the restart when Johnson got by Bronson for the position.
The yellow caution bulb was lit up again on lap 36 when Morrow gave up the eighth spot when he stalled in turn three. Davenport led Hollingsworth, Johnson, Bronson, Adkins, Stokes, Cooper, Hays, Barrett and Garner back to the green flag for the restart.
Bronson and Johnson once again swapped the third and fourth spot on the restart, but Bronson didn’t quit there, as he also passed Hollingsworth for second. The final caution flag came out on lap 38 for debris. The top ten for the dash to the finish was led by Davenport followed by Bronson, Hollingsworth, Stokes, Johnson, Cooper, Adkins, Hays, Garner and Barrett.
Johnson stepped to the outside on the restart to pass Stokes for fourth, but two laps later would give it back when he jumped the cushion in turn two. Johnson regrouped, chased Stokes back down, and passed him for fourth on lap 42. Adkins passed Cooper for the sixth spot on lap 43.
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Davenport encountered lapped traffic with five laps to go, letting Bronson close in to challenge for the lead. Once again, Davenport was up to the challenge and was able to put a lapped car between himself and Bronson on lap 48. Davenport then pulled away in the final to laps of the race to capture his first career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series win.
The next race for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division will be its first-ever visit to the high-banks of Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN on Friday night, August 23 with a 40-lap $2,000-to-win race. Then it’s off to 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, TN on Saturday night, August 24 to finish one race, and then compete in another complete show.
Rain red flagged the $4,000-to-win 2nd Annual J.T. Kerr Memorial 40 at 411 Motor Speedway on June 1 after 14 laps were completed. The race will continue at the 14-lap mark on August 24, and after that event has been completed, the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will compete in a 50-lap $2,500-to-win event at 411 Motor Speedway.
For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit nesmithracing.com.
NeSmith Chevy Dirt Late Model Series
Clayhill Motorsports – Atwood, TN
Race Results – July 27, 2013
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER
1. 8 18 Tait Davenport Benton, KY 50 $2,500
2. 1 40 Kyle Bronson (R) Brandon, FL 50 $1,250
3. 9 73 Ronny Hollingsworth Northport, AL 50 $850
4. 11 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $700
5. 5 1 Johnny Stokes Columbus, MS 50 $650
6. 15 19 Josh Adkins (R) Talladega, AL 50 $550
7. 13 10c Ronnie Cooper McKenzie, TN 50 $500
8. 21 94 T.J. Hays
9. 7 00g Ben Garner
10. 4 110 Brent Barrett (R) Cleveland, MS 50 $375
11. 24 56 Jonathan Rowan Jackson, TN 50 $350
12. 17 6 Jesse Bailey Drummonds, TN 50 $300
13. 18 11 Mark Stephens Arlington, TN 50 $280
14. 26 11d Scott Davis
15. 20 97 Craig Lindsey Trenton, TN 49 $250
16. 19 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 48 $240
17. 25 21 Shannon Ardry Columbia, TN 48 $220
18. 6 6e Troy English Calvert City, KY 37 $200
19. 23 6h Jimmy Halford Atwood, TN 36 $200
20. 22 18s David Seibers Petersburg, TN 36 $200
21. 10 8a Todd Morrow East Ridge, TN 35 $200
22. 14 00 Ricky Waggoner Martin, TN 34 $200
23. 16 19m Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 21 $200
24. 3 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 5 $200
25. 12 73n Ashley Newman Ripley, TN 3 $200
26. 2 25 Justin McRee Cottondale, AL 0 $200
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