Magnolia Motor Speedway
Boland rallies past Shaw for Magnolia victory
By Roby Helm
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model SeriesCOLUMBUS, Miss. (Sept. 5) — Mike Boland of Cuba, Ala., rallied from his 10th starting spot to take the lead on the lap 27 and capture the GM Performance Parts Black Ice 40 on the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series on Sunday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway. The victory was Boland’s fourth of the season driving the Strength Center Trak-Star and 10th of his series career.
Jeremy Shaw of Millport, Ala., started on the pole after topping 52 entrants in qualifying and led the first 26 laps. When Boland caught Shaw, they waged a side-by-side battle for the lead, before Boland took the point.
Shaw tried to come back on the high side late in the race, but Boland was up to the challenge. In the closing laps, Boland was able to pull away and win by a 1.394-second margin.
“I couldn’t have come from 10th to first tonight if it wasn’t for my car owner Walter Ware, my crew chief Mark Ware, and my crew,” Boland said. “I wasn’t very happy with the way my car handled in hot laps or qualifying, but they went to work and gave me what I needed to win this race.”
With his charge from tenth to first, Boland also picked up the GM Performance Parts Hard Charger of the Race Award to go with his $2,000 victory.
Former series champ Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, Ga., finished third followed by current series points leader Eric Cooley of Fulton, Miss., and Larry Harrod of Plains, Ga., the series winner the previous night in Meridian, Miss.
Boland not only had a good night as a driver, but also as a race car builder. Trak-Star Race Cars took six of the top 10 spots.
Before the field took the green flag, the 24-car starting field lined up and circled the track in the Missing Man formation, leaving the inside front row pole position starting spot open in a moving tribute to the late Perry Holman, who had announced many special events through the years at Magnolia Motor Speedway.
GM Performance Parts Black Ice 40: (1) Mike Boland, (2) Jeremy Shaw, (3) Chip Brindle, (4) Eric Cooley, (5) Larry Harrod, (6) Jamie Tollison, (7) Matthew Turner, (8) Rodney Wing, (9) Justin McRee, (10) Mark Tice, (11) Tim Staples, (12) Terrance Nowell, (13) Charlie Henderson, (14) Dylan Ames, (15) Todd Morrow, (16) Shannon Lee, (17) Jamey Boland, (18) Billy Franklin, (19) Kevin Maher, (20) Chris McElhenney, (21) Johnny Stokes, (22) Shay Knight, (23) Evan Ellis, (24) Lucky Keeton. Fast qualifier (among 52 cars): Shaw, 14.753 seconds. Heat race winners: McRee, Brindle, Wing, M. Boland.
