Jackson Motor Speedway
Boland goes the distance for victory at Jackson
By Roby Helm
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model SeriesJACKSON, Miss. (June 13) — Mike Boland of Cuba, Ala., picked up his second NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series victory Saturday in the Jackson 50 at Jackson Motor Speedway. Driving his Strength Center-sponsored Trak-Star Chassis, Boland won an opening race battle with fast qualifier Derrick Rainey of Powder Springs, Ga., to take the lead, and then stretched out to a 5.6 second margin of victory.
Boland also just barely got by a spinning lapped car on lap nine, but that was the only trouble the race leader encountered. Boland used the inside groove all night long, and gained his most ground coming off the corners.
“My crew chief runs here every week and he made the tire choice and told me to stay on the bottom of the track,” Boland said. “It was close when the lapped car spun in front of me, and we were lucky not to damage anything.”
While Boland dominated the race up front and led all 50 laps, there was plenty of close racing throughout the field from second on back. Two-time series champion David Gentry of Lewisburg, Tenn., manhandled his car to a second-place finish. Gentry broke a left-rear shock absorber early in the race while running seventh. Gentry’s car showed a shower of sparks on restarts until one of the rear bars on the suspension bent just enough to really make the car come to life, and Gentry began to move up through the field.
NeSmith Chevrolet points leader Eric Cooley of Fulton, Miss., finished third and local favorite Cliff Williams of Star, Miss., was fourth. Rainey, the series winner a night earlier in Hattiesburg, Miss., was fifth in a race where 10 drivers completed 50 laps.
The following day's series event at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Miss., was rained out.
NeSmith @ Jackson: (1) Mike Boland, (2) David Gentry, (3) Eric Cooley, (4) Cliff Williams, (5) Derrick Rainey, (6) Larry Boutwell, (7) Jarrette Gunn, (8) Matthew Turner, (9) Marcus Minga, (10) Michael Santangelo, (11) David Worrell, (12) Chase Washington, (13) Michael Blount, (14) Sid Scarbrough, (15) Zack Owens, (16) Ben McCreary, (17) J.D. Pass, (18) Jimmy Cliburn, (19) Chance Inman, (20) Chris Jimerson, (21) Evan Ellis, (22) Ronny Lee Hollingsworth, (23) Mike Haralson. Fast qualifier (among 23 cars): Rainey, 16.805 seconds. Consolation race winners: Turner, Gentry.
