NO DOUBTING THOMAS FOR NeSMITH
CHEVROLET DLMS EAMS BONUS BUCKS
By Roby Helm

PHENIX CITY, AL – July 19, 2008 - William Thomas of Phenix City, AL bagged the Alabama Bonus Bucks on Saturday night with his second win in as many nights in the 40-lap NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series main event at East Alabama Motor Speedway driving the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion. The $2,500 Saturday night win for Thomas followed up a $2,500 victory on Friday night at Penton Raceway in Penton, AL. By winning both races, Thomas took the $2,000 bonus, plus an extra $100 for fast time honors Saturday night from Extreme Power Sports to bring his weekend earnings to $7,100. Thomas out qualified the 32-car field on Saturday night with a lap in 15.540 seconds. Thomas was unchallenged on both Friday and Saturday nights. He led both races wire-to-wire to lead a total 80 laps. The only driver that came close to Thomas all weekend was Richie Stephens of Phenix City, AL, who finished second on Saturday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway driving the K&R Racing Scorpion. Derrick Rainey of Powder Spring, GA took the third spot in the Hays Family Racing/Barto Enterprises Warrior. Rainey, who also had a second-place finish on Friday night at Penton Raceway, vaulted from tenth to fifth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National point standings over the weekend. Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS took the fourth spot in the Tiffin Motorhomes Mastersbilt and earned the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award. Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA finished fifth in the J&J Transport Mastersbilt, and Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA drove the Universal Concrete Rocket to a sixth-place finish. Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA claimed the seventh spot in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket, and Jeff Smith of Rocky Face, GA started 18th in the Hooters GRT and finished eighth to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award. Point leader Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA was ninth in the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT, and Dana Eiland of Salem, AL came back from an early race spin to round out the top 10 in the Andy’s Auto Parts Swartz. Thomas took the lead from the pole position at the start of the race followed by Stacey Roberts of Sylvester, GA in the Sunbelt Ford Rocket, Stephens, Steven Roberts of Sylvester, GA in the John Patterson Rocket, and Royce Bray of Hull, GA in the I-85 Garage and Towing Warrior. Stephens moved up to the second spot on lap two, using an inside move to get by Stacey Roberts. For the most part, the drivers used the high side of the race track with a cushion close to the edge of the track – a track that has no walls or guard rails in the corners, or down the backstretch. This led to several miscues for several drivers. Bray got around Steven Roberts for the fourth position on lap three just before the first of six caution flags came out on lap five when Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA in the Nasworthy Mechanical Bullitt slid off the track in turn one. Thomas led Stephens, Stacey Roberts, Bray, Steven Roberts, Cooley, Eiland, Rainey, Fields, and Brindle back to the green flag. Chris Tays of Corinth, MS in the Bud Coley Trucking/Circle H Concrete Trak-Star was making the biggest moves of the race in the early going, as in the first five laps, he moved up from his 22nd starting spot to 14th. On the restart, Bray was also on the move, passing Stacey Roberts for the third spot. Gene Nasworthy of Gray, GA spun his Nasworthy Mechanical TNT off turn one on lap six, in the same spot as his teammate Peacock. The restart order was Thomas, Stephens, Bray, Stacey Roberts, Cooley, Steven Roberts, Eiland, Rainey, Fields and Brindle. After the field went green, Ingram jump into the top ten, as he was running ninth on lap ten. Stephens got a challenge from Bray, who moved by Stephens into the second spot on lap 12. Eiland had moved up to the sixth spot, but spun off the high side of turn three on lap 13 to bring out the third caution flag of the race, sending him to the back of the back for the restart. Thomas led Bray, Stephens, Stacey Roberts, Cooley, Rainey, Steven Roberts, Ingram, Fields, and Brindle down for the restart that saw Rainey go from sixth to fourth. The caution came out on lap 15 when Matt Woodson of LaGrange, GA spun in turn four collecting Peacock. Both drivers were able to continue. Stacey Roberts drove by Rainey on the restart to reclaim the fourth spot, but Rainey came right back to get back by Stacey Roberts on lap 17. Bray was trying to follow Thomas’ tire tracks on the high side of the race track, but jumped the cushion in turn one, and slid off the track, and out of second-place when the caution flag came out. Bray had to go to the back of the pack for the restart, and his misfortune earned him the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award. Thomas was now followed by Stephens, Rainey, Stacey Roberts, Steven Roberts, Cooley, Ingram, Fields, Brindle, and Nipper for the restart. Cooley got by Steven Roberts for fifth on lap 25, and Fields had moved up to the sixth spot by lap 26. Tays continued his march through the field, as he moved up to tenth on lap 28. By lap 35, Thomas was starting encounter lapped traffic, and Stephens began to close in to challenge for the lead. The key move for Thomas came on lap 38 when he found an opening between two lapped cars, and got by them just before the hole closed in front of Stephens. By the time Stephens cleared the lapped cars, Thomas was gone with the checkered flag in sight. The final lap was a wild one after Thomas, Stephens, Rainey, Stacey Roberts, and Cooley took the checkered flag. Steven Roberts spun in turn four, and collected Tays. In the ensuing scramble, Fields took the sixth spot, followed by Nipper and Ingram. Fields came from 11th to ninth. Everyone behind Stacey Roberts moved up one spot when his car was light at the post-race weigh-in. In preliminary action, the two 12-lap Qualifying Races were won by Nipper and Ingram.

THOMAS TACKLES NeSMITH CHEVROLET DLMS PENTON FIELD

PENTON, AL – July 18, 2008 - William Thomas of Phenix City, AL led wire-to-wire to dominate the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap main event on Friday night at Penton Raceway driving the J.W. Miller Land and Timber Scorpion. Thomas took the lead from his outside front row starting spot and never looked back to post his second career series victory. “We usually run this car in Super Late Model competition, but we put our GM Performance 604 Crate Engine in it for the first time for this race,” Thomas said. “We had to make a few adjustments to the car, but it really liked the engine.” Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, GA finished second in the Hays Family Racing/Barto Enterprises Warrior, and Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL took the third spot and the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award in the All-Star Graphics GRT. Point leader Chip Brindle of Chatsworth , GA was fourth in the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT. Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA grabbed the Race Car Engineering fifth spot in the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket, and Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL was sixth in the McLeod Construction TNT. Steve Miller of Tampa, FL finished seventh in the L. Miller & Associates Rocket. Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA took the Race Car Engineering eighth spot in the J&J Transport Mastersbilt, and Jason Hiett of Lincoln, AL finished ninth in the N&N Motors GRT to earn the Maximum Signs Ninth-Place Award. Stacey Roberts of Sylvester, GA rounded out the top ten in the Sunbelt Ford Rocket to take the Old 29 Golf Carts Tenth-Place Award. When the green flag dropped Thomas took the lead from polesitter Richie Stephens of Phenix City, AL in the K&R Racing Scorpion, and it didn’t take long for the first caution flag to wave, as Stephens spun in turn two. Earlier in the evening, Stephens out qualified the 48-car field with a lap around the 3/8-mile clay oval in 14.424 seconds to earn the pole position. Stephens had to go to the tail of the 24-car main event field for the restart, and pulled to the pit area after completing six laps. Stephens misfortune in the main event earned him the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck of the Race Award. Thomas took the lead on the restart followed by Rainey, Knowles, and Brindle. Knowles moved up to challenge Rainey for the second spot on lap three, but Rainey was able to hold the position. By lap five, Thomas had a half straightaway lead over Rainey, and stretched it out to a full straightaway by lap 10. At that point in the race, Thomas began to encounter lapped traffic, and Rainey cut the gap in half by lap 17. The second caution flag came out on lap 20 when Cory Korreckt of Lincoln , AL spun his Montana Saloon Rocket in two. Thomas led Rainey, Knowles, Brindle and Ingram down for the restart, and once again pulled away from the field. The third caution flag came out on lap 26 when Eric Cooley of Fulton , MS spun his Tiffin Motorhomes Mastersbilt in turn four, and collected Chris Smith of Brewton , AL in the Mac Attack Mastersbilt. The fourth and final caution flag was on lap 29 when Ted Lackey of Munford , AL stalled his C.S. Beatty Construction Warrior on the backstretch. Thomas once again opened up a half straightaway lead on Rainey by lap 32 after the restart, and maintained that advantage to the checkered flag of the race that saw 18 cars still running on the lead lap. Chris Tays of Corinth, MS took a provisional, started 23rd and finished 16th in the Bud Coley Trucking/Circle H Concrete Trak-Star to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award. The preliminary 12-lap Qualifying Races were won by Hiett, Dana Eiland of Salem, AL in the Andy’s Auto Parts Swartz, Adam Martin of Talladega, AL in the Martin Racing Barry Wright, and Jordy Nipper of Gray, GA in the Universal Concrete Rocket.