Keeton scores first career NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS national tour win

After winning his first career NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Touring event on Friday night at Southern Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS, Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS plants a kiss on the cheek of series Founder and Director Mike Vaughn. (Mike Blevins Photo)

HATTIESBURG, MS – Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS scored a clean sweep in the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap main event on Friday night at Southern Speedway. Keeton was the fast qualifier, led every lap, and took his first career win on the series National Tour driving the Trak Star Race Cars By Mike Boland Trak Star before a packed house.

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year candidate Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA challenged Keeton for the lead early in the race, but the defending and two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion held the youngster off for the win.

“I’ve raced here enough to know that I had to go Catfishing and cover the bottom of the race track,” Keeton said. “I thought he (Peacock) would go by me on the outside early in the race, but later in the race, I knew he’d wash up the track, and I’d get back by him. This has got to be the biggest win of my career, and the one that means the most to me.”

Peacock could pull along side Keeton on the outside, but Keeton was stronger off the fourth turn to maintain the lead he never relinquished. Peacock had to settle for second in the Nasworthy Mechanical Bullitt and the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Award.

During the second half of the race, Peacock had a strong challenger in Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA. Turner was able to get inside Peacock to challenge for second on two different occasions, but could never made the attempt stick. Turner finished third in the Turner Excavating DWB.

Mike Boland of Cuba, AL passed Ted Lackey of Munford, AL on lap 39 to take the fourth spot in The Strength Center Trak Star, and Lackey was fifth in the C.S. Beatty Construction Warrior and took the Race Car Engineering fifth-place award. Scott Knowles of Lanett, AL finished sixth in the All-Star Graphics GRT to take over the Sunoco Race Fuels rookie points lead.

Lucky Keeton of Toomsuba, MS in the #22 Boland Performance Trak Star holds off the challenge of Hunter Peacock of Macon, GA in the #12 Nasworthy Mechanical Bullitt during the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series 40-lap main event on Friday night at Southern Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS. (Mike Blevins Photo)

Frank Ingram of Woodstock, GA drove the Dixon Hauling and Grading Rocket to the Race Car Engineering seventh-place award, and Jeff Fields of Aragon, GA was eighth in the J&J Transport Mastersbilt to regain the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National points lead.

Larry Boutwell of Baker, FL picked up the Maximum Signs ninth-place award in the McLeod Construction TNT, and Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS rounded out the top ten, and took the Old 29 Golf Carts tenth-place award in the Billy Riels Racing GRT.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National points chase was wound up tight after the fifth round of the 2008 season with just 82 points separating the top ten. Fields holds a two point lead over Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, GA 390 to 388. Brindle struggled to a 13th-place finish in the CSC Trailer Repair/Brindle Brothers Auto Parts GRT.

Boutwell moved into a tie for the third spot in the National standings with Chris Tays of Corinth, MS, who finished 11th in the Bud Coley Trucking/Circle H Concrete Construction Trak Star. Boutwell and Tays each have 362 points. Lackey is fifth in points, just two points out of third spot with 360 points.

Turner’s top three finish moved him into a tie for the sixth spot with Jay Blair of Angie, LA at 340 points. Blair cut down a tire early in the race while running third, and ended up finishing 17th in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt. Blair’s misfortune earned him the Dominator Hard Luck Award.

Knowles moved up to the eighth spot in the National standings with 332 points, followed by fellow Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidates Jason Hiett of Lincoln, AL and Peacock with 318 and 308 points respectively. Hiett finished 18th in the N&N Motors GRT.

Keeton out timed the 29-car field with a lap around ¼-mile clay oval in 13.988 seconds as the last qualifier with the last lap of Qualifications. Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS started 22nd and finished 14th to earn the Hard Charger of the Race Award in the Tiffin Motorhomes Mastersbilt. The two 12-lap Qualifying Races were won by Jason Warner of Franklinton, LA in the J&A Trucking Mastersbilt and Fields.

The opening lap of the race saw Keeton and Peacock race side-by-side for the lead followed by Blair, Turner and Lackey. Keeton took the lead coming off the fourth turn. By lap five, the top four began to pull away from Lackey, and Blair began to challenge Peacock for second on lap seven.

The first of four caution flags was unfurled on lap 11 when Michael Santangelo of St. Rose, LA stalled in turn two in the Harahan Paint and Body Trak Star. Blair gave up the third spot under caution when he pitted with a cut tire. Keeton led Peacock, Turner, Lackey, and Knowles down for the restart.

Caution number two came out on lap 19 when Billy Riels of Perkinston, MS spun his GRT in turn two, and the third yellow was lit up on the restart for debris in turn two. On the next restart, Turner turned up the wick to put the heat on Peacock for the second spot. They raced hammer and tong side-by-side for several laps, but Peacock held the position.

Herman Reynolds of Laurel, MS spun his Trak Star in turn two on lap 25 collecting Kody Barber of Bogalusa, LA in the Magic City Lawn Care Mastersbilt and Curt Lipsey of Tickfaw, LA in the A-O.K. Mobile Home Movers GRT.

The final 15 laps saw Keeton maintain a three car-length advantage on Peacock, with Turner settled into the third spot. Boland was the man on the move in the closing laps of the race, getting by Knowles for the fifth spot on lap 26, and then passing Lackey for the fourth spot on lap 39.

The NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Tour now moves down I-59 to A1 Raceway in Slidell, LA for a $3,000-to-win 50-lap main event on Saturday night.

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF ROUND 5 AT SOUTHERN SPEEDWAY IN HATTIESBURG, MS ON 5/9/08:

POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON

1. 1 22 Lucky Keeton Toomsuba, MS 40 $2,500
2. 2 12 Hunter Peacock (R) Macon, GA 40 $1,200
3. 4 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 40 $850
4. 8 222 Mike Boland Cuba, AL 40 $700
5. 6 41 Ted Lackey Munford, AL 40 $650
6. 5 66k Scott Knowles (R) Lanett, AL 40 $550
7. 4 F9 Frank Ingram Woodstock, GA 40 $500
8. 12 16 Jeff Fields Aragon, GA 40 $450
9. 9 58 Larry Boutwell Baker, FL 40 $400
10. 14 47 Shannon Lee Lumberton, MS 40 $375
11. 15 8 Chris Tays Corinth, MS 40 $350
12. 17 760 Jim McDuffie Meridian, MS 40 $300
13. 16 38c Chip Brindle Chatsworth, GA 40 $280
14. 22 33c Eric Cooley (R) Fulton, MS 40 $360
15. 23 35 Curt Lipsey Tickfaw, LA 40 $250
16. 24 34 Chad Wallace (R) LaGrange, GA 40 $240
17. 3 2x Jay Blair Angie, LA 40 $220
18. 14 1h Jason Hiett (R) Lincoln, AL 40 $200
19. 21 9 Herman Reynolds Laurel, MS 40 $200
20. 13 77 Michael Santangelo St. Rose, LA 40 $200
21. 18 21 Kody Barber Bogalusa, LA 24 $200
22. 18 20 Billy Riels Perkinston, MS 19 $200
23. 10 87 Derrick Rainey Powder Springs, GA 18 $200
24. 11 112 Jason Warner Franklinton, LA 18 $200

ENTRIES: 29
FAST QUALIFIER: Keeton, 13.988 Seconds
PROVISIONALS: None
LEAD CHANGES: None
LAP LEADER: Keeton, 1-40
HARD CHARGER AWARD: Cooley (started 22nd and finished 14th)
SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Peacock
DOMINATOR HARD LUCK AWARD: Blair
RACE CAR ENGINEERING 5TH-PLACE AWARD: Lackey

RACE CAR ENGINEERING 8TH-PLACE AWARD: Fields
MAXIMUM SIGNS 9TH-PLACE AWARD: Boutwell
OLD 29 GOLF CARTS 10TH-PLACE AWARD: Lee
CAUTIONS: 4

HEAT RACES (12 Laps – Top 7 Transfer To Main Event):

1ST HEAT: 1. Warner; 2. Santangelo; 3. Tays; 4. McDuffie; 5. Hiett (R); 6. Reynolds; 7. Lipsey; 8. Minga (R); 9. Arnold; 10. Kouhout.

2ND HEAT: 1. Fields; 2. Lee; 3. Brindle; 4. Barber; 5. Riels; 6. Cooley (R); 7. Wallace (R); 8. Pellerin; 9. Smith (R).

NeSMITH CHEVROLET DIRT LATE MODEL SERIES NATIONAL POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 5/9/08:

1. 16 Jeff Fields - 390
2. 38c Chip Brindle – 388
3. 8 Chris Tays – 362
3. 58 Larry Boutwell – 362
5. 41 Ted Lackey – 360
6. 2x Jay Blair – 340
6. 10 Matthew Turner – 340
8. 66k Scott Knowles (R) – 332
9. 1h Jason Hiett (R) – 318
10. 12 Hunter Peacock – 308
11. 33c Eric Cooley (R) – 270
12. 222 Mike Boland – 234
13. F9 Frank Ingram – 226
14. 87 Derrick Rainey – 216
15. F22 Carlton Freeman – 192
16. 00 Jeff Smith – 192
17. 34 Chad Wallace (R) – 188
18. 14 Steve Godsey (R) – 182
19. 02 Stephen Brantley – 164
20. 22 Lucky Keeton - 158

R – Denotes Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Candidate