EASTABOGA, Ala. - Terry Smith of Oxford, Ala. defended his home turf Saturday night in spectacular fashion, as he edged out defending National Champion Ronnie Johnson to win the 50-lap Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series main event at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Ala.
The Super Late Models were able to show an appreciative crowd the three and four-wide racing the Chevy Super Series has become well-known for, especially at the front of the pack, as Smith, Johnson, Tim Busha and Ryan King battled for the lead all race long.
Smith rode in the second and third spots for the first 40 laps of the race, primarily in the bottom groove of Talladega Short Track, but with ten laps to go, Smith dusted off the top shelf and rode the high line to the lead on lap 45. Smith then held off Johnson to take a .683 second margin of victory to the checkered flag and a $3,000 payday.
“My car was working on the bottom, but I saw Johnson running pretty well on the outside, so I thought maybe there was something more up there,” Smith said. “After the halfway point, we had kind of a misty rain, and everyone moved to the bottom groove. I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain trying the outside and it worked.”
In addition to being a weekly Super Late Model competitor at Talladega Short Track, Smith also builds race cars for himself and other competitors. In addition to his own car, Smith also built King’s TSR chassis. The two combined to lead 24 laps of the race.
Johnson finished second and maintained his lead in the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series point standings after two races. Johnson won the season opener on March 21 at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, TN. Johnson leads Busha by 12 points. Busha finished third at TST on Saturday night in the Kilpatrick Racing GRT.
King drove to a fourth-place finish after leading the first 18 laps of the race and was the Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Race. Tim Roszell finished fifth and Jeff Smith was sixth.
Jake Knowles, Adam Martin, Jacob Grizzle and Oliver Gentry rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Brandon Williams out-timed the 26-car field with a lap around the ¼-mile clay oval in 14.492 seconds to earn the pole position for the 50-lap main event. But in hot laps before the race, Williams lost a pulley off his engine, and it could not be repaired in time for the feature.
Williams started the race at the back of the field, made one lap and pulled in to finish 24th. The ten-lap B-Main Race was won by Matt Dooley.
King moved up to assume the pole position for the start of the race after Williams’ misfortune, and took the lead at the start of the race followed by Nathan Mayes, Terry Smith, Johnson, and Martin. Mayes pulled up to the outside to battle King for the lead on lap two, while Martin worked to the inside of Johnson to battle side-by-side for fourth.
Johnson drove up to the outside of Mayes to battle for third on lap six, as Terry Smith took over the second spot. Lap seven saw a three-wide battle for second among Terry Smith, Mayes, and Johnson. That trio of drivers exchanged positions to several laps, while Jeff Smith moved up to the fifth spot on lap ten.
The first of two caution flags came out on lap 16 when Lavon Sparks stalled on the front stretch. King had the field doubled up behind him for the “Dixie Style” Double-File Restart. Johnson, Terry Smith, Jeff Smith, Mayes, Martin, Busha, Knowles, Gentry and Roszell were in second through tenth respectively.
When the field went back to green, Johnson stepped to the outside to challenge King for the lead, and took the point coming off the fourth turn. But before the lap could be completed, Mayes spun on the front straightaway to bring out the caution flag, and negate the pass for the lead. King would lead the field down for the next restart.
The restart again showed King and Johnson racing side-by-side for the lead, while Busha dove inside Jeff Smith to take the fourth spot. Johnson led King at the front stretch scoring loop by a bumper on lap 19, but didn’t clear King until lap 21. During those three laps the lead duo traded the lead several times.
At the halfway point it was Johnson leading King, Terry Smith, Busha, Jeff Smith, Roszell, Knowles, Martin, Grizzle, and Gentry. Johnson reached lapped traffic by lap 29, and the damp mist began to fall from the sky. It was at this time that Johnson switched to the bottom groove of the track.
When Johnson would go to the outside to try and get around lapped cars, King would close the gap. King caught the leader and tried to drive under him coming off the second turn on lap 37. The two frontrunners made contact, but each kept going. Seeing what was happening in front of him, Terry Smith began to look to the outside.
On lap 41, Terry Smith gained enough momentum to sail around King for the second spot, and then took off after the leader Johnson. On lap 45, Terry Smith drove around Johnson coming off the fourth turn to take the lead. Johnson hung on for the last five laps to take second, and Busha passed a fading King to take over the third spot in lap 48.
The next race for the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series will be Round 3 of the 2015 season at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, TN on Saturday night, June 27 with a $3,000-to-win 50-lap main event.
For more information about the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series visit the series web site at 525SuperSeries.com.
Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series
Talladega Short Track – Eastaboga, AL
Race Results – June 13, 2015
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER
1. 3 99 Terry Smith Oxford, AL 50 $3,000
2. 4 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 50 $1,500
3. 9 15 Tim Busha
4. 1 55 Ryan King (R) Anniston, AL 50 $850
5. 10 6 Tim Roszell
6. 6 85 Jeff Smith
7. 8 66 Jake Knowles Rome, GA 50 $650
8. 5 47a Adam Martin (R) Talladega, AL 50 $600
9. 16 99g Jacob Grizzle Blairsville, GA 50 $550
10. 12 03 Oliver Gentry Newnan, GA 50 $500
11. 20 44 Adam Beeler (R) Knoxville, TN 50 $475
12. 17 33 David Brannon Elora, TN 50 $450
13. 13 47c Tyler Crowder Lamont, FL 50 $425
14. 19 21 Mario Gresham (R) Rome, GA 50 $400
15. 14 11 Lavon Sparks Phenix City, AL 49 $375
16. 18 J1 Josh Johnson (R) Winchester, TN 49 $350
17. 11 24 Barry Goodman Spring City, TN 49 $325
18. 21 44k Colby Kilgore Dalton, GA 49 $300
19. 15 18 Matt Dooley (R) Brooks, GA 49 $300
20. 24 58 Tony Thompson Ohatchee, AL 47 $300
21. 22 J8 Jadon Frame Winchester, TN 39 $300
22. 7 47r Ross Martin Talladega, AL 26 $300
23. 2 15m Nathan Mayes Springdale, AR 15 $300
24. 23 95 Brandon Williams (R) Crossville, TN 1 $300
