COLUMBUS, MS – Scott Dedwylder of Vossburg, MS gave his car owner Chase Washington some more “Race Track Therapy” on Sunday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway by driving the Jerry Inmon Racing Special to his second straight NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series victory in the Salute To The Air Force 40.
It was a successful weekend for Washington, both on and off the track. On the track, Dedwylder earned $4,425 in three straight nights of NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series racing at Hattiesburg Motorsports Park in Hattiesburg, MS on Friday, where Dedwylder finished sixth, and then took the win on Saturday night at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS.
Off the track, race fans opened their hearts and wallets to the tune of $9,000 raising money to help Washington off-set his medical expenses while he recovers from successful major surgery to remove a foot and a half cancerous portion of his small intestine, and undergoes six precautionary chemotherapy treatments over an 18-week period.
12 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Champion from Houlka, MS came from Raffles and Ride For Life two-seat dirt late model rides that were auctioned off at each of the three events that were a part of the Memorial Day Weekend Salute To The Armed Forces for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series.
The Raffles were organized by the family of Washington’s fellow driver Mickey Trosclair of Luling, LA, who raced Washington to a tie in the points last season in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Championship. Washington won the tie-breaker with more 50-point wins than Trosclair.
Even the acting Governor of Mississippi, race fan and Senate President Pro Tempore Terry Brown of Columbus was on hand to support Washington. Brown is acting Governor of Mississippi until Tuesday evening while the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor are out-of-state. Brown also took a ride in the two-seater at race speed around Magnolia Motor Speedway. The Alan East Foundation of Columbus also gave Washington $2,000.
“This has been a wonderful weekend for me and great therapy with the outpouring of love and support from the racing community, and the success Scott has had on the race track with back-to-back wins,” Washington said. “I can’t thank everyone enough for what they’ve done and I pray that God will bless each and every one of them, as He has blessed me for having them in my life.”
Dedwylder’s second win didn’t come without a fight; however, as Justin McRee of Cottondale, AL took Dedwylder to a mid-race lead swapping party in heavy lapped traffic. Dedwylder started on the pole position and led the first 21 laps, but as he tried to negotiate lapped traffic, McRee pulled up to battle for the lead.
Between laps 22 and 26, the lead changed hands at the flag stand four times, and even more times at various points around the race track. McRee, working to the outside of Dedwylder, led lap 22 and 23 before Dedwylder edged him at the flag stand to lead lap 24. J-Mac sailed back around the outside of Dedwylder to lead lap 25, but when Dedwylder came back to lead lap 26, he cleared the lapped traffic, and pulled away for the victory in the caution flag-free race.
“This race track was in great shape tonight and we could race anywhere from the infield to the wall all of the way around it,” Dedwylder said. “When I came up on the two lapped cars running side by, I thought I could fill the hole between them, but when I looked to my right, there was McRee taking us four-wide!”
After clearing the lapped cars, Dedwylder pulled away to take a 2.7 second margin of victory over McRee, who finished second in the High Roller Race Cars Special. Evan Ellis of Plantersville, MS took the third spot in the Ellis Welding Special.
If the battle for the lead wasn’t entertaining enough for the race fans, National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Inductee Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, TN put on a passing clinic for them. After starting 18th in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special, Johnson, without the aid of a caution flag during the 40-lap race charged to a fourth-place finish to earn the Hedman Husler of the Race Award.
Rodney Wing of Meridian, MS drove the Gas Monkey Garage Special to a fifth-place finish, and NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series point leader Ronny Lee Hollingsworth of Northport, AL was sixth in the Sparks Motorsports Special. Hollingsworth now holds a 22-point lead over Johnson in quest of the $20,000 season championship.
Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS was the Rookie of the Race after a seventh-place finish in the Custom Spraying, Inc. GRT. Johnny Stokes of Columbus, MS took the eighth spot in the Bassett Hound Motorsports GRT, and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS was ninth in the Bryson Motorsports Special. Montana Dudley of Phenix City, AL rounded out the top ten in the Zaxby’s Rocket.
Dedwylder made it a clean sweep, as he also out-timed the 49-car field with a lap around the 3/8-mile “black ice” clay oval in 14.762 seconds. The four 12-lap Heat Races were won by Stokes, Kyle Bronson of Brandon, FL in the Brandon Ford Warrior, two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN, and Cooley.
The next two events for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Touring Division will be Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2013 season. Round 9 will be a $2,000-to-win 40-lap race on Friday night at Boyds Speedway in Ringgold, GA, just across the state line from Chattanooga, TN.
Round 10 will take place on Saturday night with the $4,000-to-win 2nd Annual J.T. Kerr Memorial 40 at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, TN, located at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains between Knoxville, TN and the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN area. This race honors East Tennessee legendary championship driver and racing businessman the late J.T. Kerr.
For more information about the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series visit the series web site at www.nesmithracing.com, or visit the series on Facebook at NeSmith Racing. Becoming a fan of the NeSmith Racing Facebook page will make you eligible for special prizes that will be given away each month. You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.