Thursday March 28th, 2024 7:32AM

Lucas nabs first NeSmith WRS win of 2015 at Flomaton

By Roby Helm

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - Mother Nature may have spoiled most of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 8 action, but one of the two races that did get to run had plenty of excitement with some intense series within a series competition. The top drivers from both the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series and the NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series gathered at Flomaton Speedway in Flomaton, Ala, on Saturday night.

Shep Lucas of McKenzie, Ala. drove the Store All Business Special to his first win of the season and only the second outing for his new race car that gained a personality and received a new name at Flomaton Speedway. Lucas outran another first-time NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series visitor Richie Beasley, a former Pensacola, Fla. resident, now living in Terry, Miss.

“It was good to be able to bring this new car to one of my home tracks so we could learn more about it,” Lucas said. “I’ve named the car Lucy because she can be temperamental like a woman, but when you drive her into the corner, she’ll turn. I like her, but I’ve gotta get more used to her.”

After winning the first heat race, Lucas started on the pole position to lead the field down for the green flag. He took the lead and never looked back, holding off a late race charge by Beasley after a caution flag bunched up the field for a restart.

NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series point leader Joseph Joiner of Milton, Fla. started sixth and finished third in the Three Trade Consultants Special and now holds a six-point lead over Mark Clifton of Brewton, Ala., 146 to 140 points. Joiner also moved up to the third spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National point standings. Clifton finished sixth in the race driving the Carboline Special.

Fast Qualifier Chris O’Connor of Cantonment, Fla. drove the Advanced Construction and Development Special to a fourth-place finish and Shannon Lee of Lumberton, Miss. rounded out the top five in the Billy Riels Racing Special. NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National point leader Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, Miss. was seventh in the Strength Center Special.

Josh Huss of Flomaton, Ala. took the eighth spot on Saturday night at Flomaton Speedway to hold the third spot in the NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series standings with 135 points driving the Huss Racing Warrior. Tracey Sutton of Flomaton, Ala. finished ninth in the ASM Recycling Special and James Gilmore of Milton, Fla. rounded out the top ten in the Gilmore Racing Special.

Arnold continues to lead the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings with 334 points after five wins, six top five finishes and eighth top ten finishes in nine races over eight weeks. Lee is second with 332 points after one win and nine top five finishes in nine races over eight weeks. Joiner is third with 280 points after one win and five top five finishes in six races.

The 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Noah Daspit of Kiln, Miss. is fourth with 277 points after two wins, three top five finishes and five top ten finishes in six races driving the Billy Riels Racing Special. Cliff Williams of Star, Miss. is fifth with 241 points after one win, four top five finishes and five top ten finishes in seven races over five weeks in the Cliff Williams Plumbing GRT. Daspit and Williams did not compete in Week 8 action.

Hunter Lewis of Moss Point, Miss. finished 11th on Saturday night at Flomaton Speedway in the T. Lewis Construction Rocket to move up to the sixth spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 240 points. Lewis has one top five finish and four top ten finishes in six races.

Three-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion Lucky Keeton of Collinsville, Miss. is seventh in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 234 points after one win, four top five finishes and six top ten finishes in seven races over five weeks driving the Byram Trucking GRT.

Sid Scarbrough of Florence, Miss. is eighth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 216 points after one top five finish and three top ten finishes in six races over five weeks driving the Villa South Trak-Star. Al Kouhout of Hattiesburg, Miss. is ninth with 214 points after four top ten finishes in five races driving the Tophen’s Rock and Roll Grill Special.

Nick Thrash of Meridian, Miss. rounds out the Top 10 in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 213 points after one top five finish in five races driving the McDevitt Enterprises GRT. Keeton, Scarbrough, Kouhout and Thrash did not compete in Week 8 action.

In other NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 8 action, veteran Howard Willis of Dayton, Tex. drove the 41 Shocks Special to his first NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series win of the season on Saturday night at Battleground Race Park in Highlands, Tex.. Kevin Sitton of Baytown, Tex. finished second, Randy Lovell of Lumberton, Tex. was third, Sunoco Young Gun Challenge Series driver 14-year-old Dylan Allen of Baytown, Tex. took the fourth spot and Jamie Green of Highlands, Tex. rounded out the top five.

The complete NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 8 Friday night slate was wiped clean by track equipment issues at Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, Miss., and by rain at Penton Raceway in Penton, Ala. and Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan.

Saturday night NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 8 rainouts were experienced at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, Miss., Jackson Motor Speedway in Jackson, Miss., St. Tammany Raceway in Lacombe, La., and at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala.

After the first 8 weeks of the 2015 season, a total of 209 different drivers have earned NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series points. For complete point standings, more information and rules about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series, visit the series web site at NesmithRacing.com.

NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series
Week 8 Race Results

May 15

HATTIESBURG SPEEDWAY – HATTIESBURG, MS
Cancelled

PENTON RACEWAY – PENTON, AL
Rained Out

SALINA SPEEDWAY – SALINA, KS
Rained Out

May 16

FLOMATON SPEEDWAY – FLOMATON, AL (NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series)
1. 57 Shep Lucas
2. 54 Richie Beasley
3. 10 Joseph Joiner
4. 03 Chris O’Connor
5. 47 Shannon Lee
6. 11 Mark Clifton
7. 4 Michael Arnold
8. 25 Josh Huss
9. 12 Tracey Sutton
10. 47g James Gilmore
11. 7 Hunter Lewis
12. 14 Chase Cooper
13. 79 Kyle Bryant
14. 40 Bo Slay
15. 02 Stephen Brantley
16. 3 Cody Smith
17. C4 Chris Reid

NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series
Week 8 Point Standings

POS CAR # DRIVER PTS RACES WINS TOP 5 TOP 10
1 10 Joseph Joiner 146 3 1 3 3
2 11 Mark Clifton 140 3   2 3
3 25 Josh Huss 135 3   2 3
4 79 Kyle Bryant 129 3     2
5 40 Bo Slay 126 3     2
6 7 Hunter Lewis 125 3     2
7 03 Chris O’Connor 96 2   2 2
8 72 Frank Wilson 94 2   1 2
9 3 Cody Smith 91 3 1 1 1
10 57 Shep Lucas 50 1 1 1 1
11 54 Richie Beasley 49 1   1 1
12 10 Ryan Crane 47 1   1 1
13 47 Shannon Lee 46 1   1 1
14 4 Michael Arnold 44 1     1
15 34 Lee Mason 44 1     1
16 72n Todd Neiheiser 43 1     1
17 12 Tracy Sutton 42 1     1
18 C4 Chris Reid 41 1      
19 02 Stephen Brantley 41 1      
20 47g James Gilmore 41 1     1
21 14 Chase Cooper 41 1
  • Associated Categories: NASCAR News, Other Motorsports
  • Associated Tags: motorsports, Auto Racing, Dirt Track, Stock Car, Short Track, Dirt Late Model, NeSmith
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