Tazewell Speedway
Elliott survives Tazewell, wins first NeSmith race
By Roby Helm
NeSmith Dirt Late Model SeriesTAZEWELL, Tenn. (Aug. 23) — There’s a famous saying in racing that to finish first, one must first finish. That was the strategy Jimmy Elliott of Cleveland, Tenn., used Saturday at Tazewell Speedway in claiming his first career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series victory in his first ever start on the Crate Late Model tour.
After starting second in the race, Elliott dropped back to the sixth spot early in the race, but found himself in the right spot at the right time on more than one occasion as competitors in front of him fell to the wayside. Elliott inherited the lead on lap 23 after leader Johnny Stokes of Columbus, Miss., dropped out, and later held off a late race challenge from Kyle Bronson of Brandon, Fla., to claim a $2,000 victory in the 40-lap race.
“I fell back early in the race, and that time, I didn’t think I had a very good race car, but as the drivers in front of me kept falling out, the race just came to me,” Elliott said. “I didn’t have anything for Johnny Stokes, and I hated he fell out the way he did, but I’ll take the win.”
Bronson was able to get close to Elliott in the closing laps of the race, but couldn’t make a challenge for the lead and had to settle for second ahead of National Dirt Hall of Fame member Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn., who charged through the field after pitting with a flat tire on lap eight.
Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS started shotgun on the field in the 24th starting spot, and drove the Custom Spraying, Inc. GRT to a fourth-place finish to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award. Josh Adkins of Talladega, AL joined Bronson and Barrett as the third Rookie of the Year candidate in the top five with a fifth-place finish in the Yellow Hammer Construction Special.
With his third-place finish, Johnson took over the series points lead. He holds a 16-point advantage over Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, Ala., who finished 16th in Friday’s feature. Hollingsworth ran as high as second in the race before spinning on a lap-18 restart.
A high attrition rate at the high-banked track saw just nine cars running at the finish of the race.
NeSmith Series competitors move to 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, Tenn., on Saturday to complete the remaining 26 laps of the $4,000-to-win second annual J.T. Kerr Memorial 40 that was red flagged by rain with 14 laps in the books on June 1 before competing another complete program with a $2,500 payday for the winner.
NeSmith @ Tazewell: (1) Jimmy Elliott, (2) Kyle Bronson, (3) Ronnie Johnson, (4) Brent Barrett, (5) Josh Adkins, (6) Mike Smith, (7) Chris Chandler, (8) Jake Teague, (9) Tait Davenport, (10) Matthew Turner, (11) Chris Cantrell, (12) Forrest Trent, (13) Roger Best, (14) Johnny Stokes, (15) Greg Huskey, (16) Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, (17) Bobby Mays, (18) Justin Beeler, (19) Mack McCarter, (20) Brian Courtney, (21) Chris Wilson, (22) Adam Beeler, (23) Jason Trammell, (24) Justin McRee. Fast qualifier (among 24 cars): Wilson, 12.372 seconds. Consolation race winners: Trammell, McCarter.
