Kyle Bronson was the show in the Showdown On The Coast for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series on Saturday night at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. Bronson took the lead on lap 15 of the 60-lap race and never looked back to take his second career win worth $5,000 driving the Brandon Ford Rocket.
The only time Bronson had any competition was when he was in lapped traffic. Chase Edge and Ryan Crane would close in to within a couple of car-lengths of Bronson, but the leader would make a bold move through the lapped cars to open up another lead. Bronson carried a 1.608 second margin of victory under the checkered flag.
“My crew gave me a great race car tonight that worked the best on the bottom of the track, and that worked for me to take the lead on a restart,” Bronson, of Brandon, Fla., said. “The car was also good anywhere I needed to go in lapped traffic. It’s good to be back with the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series. This is a great series that is run very professionally and they keep everyone on a level playing field.”
Edge led the first 14 laps of the race, but the defending race winner had to settle for second after a spirited battle for the runner-up spot with Crane, who took the third spot. Evan Ellis finished fourth, while Matt Henderson of Loudon, TN drove to a fifth place finish in a courageous effort. Henderson spent most of the week in the hospital after being stricken with Red Dye poisoning.
Jimmy Thomas, Ryan King, Phillip Cobb, Ronnie Johnson and Terrance Nowell rounded out the top ten.
Edge took the lead at the drop of the green flag followed by Diekemper, Bronson, Crane and Cobb. The first of eight caution flags came out on lap two when Hunter Carter spun in turn two. On the restart, Mark Whitener made a big move, as he moved from sixth to fourth.
Whitener kept his run to the front going on lap three when he powered to the inside of Bronson in turn three to take over the third spot. Mallory Harvey spun in turn four to bring out the second caution flag on lap four.
Edge had Diekemper, Whitener, Bronson, Crane, Justin McRee, Cobb, Johnson, Jason Fitzgerald and King doubled up behind him for the “Dixie Style” double-file restart. When the green flag came out, Bronson moved up to second, and McRee climbed up to third on lap five.
Michael Blount stopped on the backstretch to light up the yellow bulb on lap eight. When the field came down for the restart, McRee spun in turn four with some help from Diekemper. McRee got his third spot back for the next restart, and Diekemper was sent to the back of the pack.
The field stayed under green until lap 15, when Rodgerick Dykes spun in turn four to bring out the fifth caution flag. With Edge restarting up front in a row all by himself, Bronson chose the inside for the restart. When the green flag came back out, Bronson found the inside groove open, and he filled it in turn one.
Bronson raced Edge side-by-side through turns one and two before taking the lead coming off the second turn. Bronson began to pull away from Edge, and he reached the cars on the tail of the lead lap by the 24th tour. Dykes opened up the inside for Bronson, but the next car he encountered was running in the bottom groove, which was the one Bronson preferred.
While Bronson tried to find a way around Charlie Flowers, Edge and Crane closed in to within a car-length of Bronson. Despite instructions from race control to give way to the leaders, Flowers would not give up the bottom groove.
Bronson got a run on the high side to get around Flowers on lap 33, but he had to cut hard to the left to avoid another lapped car running the high side to give the leaders room in turn three. Bronson just cleared the nose of Flower’s car and pulled away from Edge and Crane. Bronson’s advantage went away on lap 35 when Maddox stalled in turn four to bring out the sixth caution flag.
The restart saw Bronson leading Edge, Crane, Ellis, King, Johnson, Henderson, Nowell, Thomas, and Cobb, with Edge choosing the inside when they went side-by-side, with Crane to his right. When the green flag came back out, Crane sailed around Edge to take second. Henderson came from seventh to fifth, and Johnson dropped back to tenth.
The seventh caution flag of the race came out on lap 42 when Thomas spun in turn four with an assist from Nowell, who was ticketed with the caution flag and sent to the tail of the cars on the lead lap for the restart, while Thomas got his spot back. Bronson led Crane, Edge, Ellis, Henderson, King, Thomas, Johnson, Travis Pennington and Cobb.
Crane chose the inside for the restart and had Edge to his right on the outside. When the green flag came back out, Edge returned the favor Crane gave him on the previous restart. Edge powered around the outside of Crane to reclaim the second spot in turn one. Henderson got to the inside of Ellis on lap 48 in turn four to move up to the fourth spot.
The eighth and final caution flag of the race came out on lap 54 when Henry Carter, Jr. stalled in turn four. With the race inside of ten laps to go, it was a single-file restart with Bronson leading Edge, Crane, Henderson, Ellis, Thomas, King, Cobb, Pennington, and Johnson.
While Bronson pulled away in the last seven laps of the race, Ellis was able to get around Henderson to retake the fourth spot, and Nowell was able rally in the final laps to race his way back into the top ten.
Johnson will take an 84-point lead into the season finale on November 20-21. All he has to do is take the green flag in feature to capture his unprecedented third NeSmith title.
In preliminary action, Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series driver, 17-year-old Ryan Carter out-timed the 33 car field with a lap around the 4/10-mile clay oval in 16.395 seconds. Carter was unable to start the main event after a crash at the start of the first heat race.
Qualifying and the four ten lap heat races were contested on Friday night. The four heat races were won by Robert Diekemper, Edge, Bronson, and Crane. The two 12-lap B-Main Races on Saturday night were won by Ches Chester and Tom Maddox.
The next race for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series will be the season finale of the 2015 season with the 100-lap $10,000-to-win 11th Annual Chevrolet Performance World Championship Race at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL on November 20-21.
For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit NesmithRacing.com.
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series
Golden Isles Speedway – Brunswick, GA
Showdown On The Coast – Oct. 17, 2015
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER
1. 3 40b Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL 60 $5,000
2. 2 18 Chase Edge LaFayette, AL 60 $2,625
3. 4 10c Ryan Crane (R) Panama City, FL 60 $1,875
4. 15 73 Evan Ellis Plantersville, MS 60 $1,500
5. 12 H2 Matt Henderson (R) Loudon, TN 60 $1,375
6. 16 22 Jimmy Thomas Phenix City, AL 60 $1,000
7. 10 30 Ryan King (R) Seymour, TN 60 $975
8. 5 03 Phillip Cobb Dover, FL 60 $750
9. 7 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 60 $825
10. 19 55 Terrance Nowell Phenix City, AL 60 $650
11. 13 01 Travis Pennington Stapleton, GA 60 $600
12. 23 19 Marcus Minga Shannon, MS 60 $550
13. 11 29 Mallory Harvey Baxley, GA 60 $500
14. 17 9 Ches Chester Twin City, GA 60 $450
15. 20 121 Michael Blount Sumrall, MS 59 $400
16. 24 5d Rodgerick Dykes Smith Station, AL 58 $380
17. 22 45 Charlie Flowers Hortense, GA 51 $360
18. 21 28 Henry Carter Jr. Kite, GA 51 $340
19. 18 85 Tom Maddox Centre, AL 32 $320
20. 6 5w Mark Whitener Middleburg, FL 24 $300
21. 14 25 Hunter Carter Blackshear, GA 14 $300
22. 8 447 Justin McRee Woodstock, AL 8 $300
23. 1 48 Robert Diekemper Bloomingdale, GA 7 $300
24. 9 20 Jason Fitzgerald Middleburg, FL 7 $300
