NeSmith Racing Series: Newman Wins Thriller at Greenville Speedway Gumbo Nationals

Roby Helm

GREENVILLE, Miss. – Nov. 5. Ashley Newman of Mercer, Tenn. took the $3,000 win in a thrilling finish on Saturday in the fifth annual "Gumbo Nationals 50" for the NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model series Tour at Greenville Speedway. Driving the 45 Race Shop GRT, Newman held off a last lap challenge from Dan Breuer of Troutman, N.C. to pick up his first series career win.

Breuer was able to close in on Newman on the last lap to challenge for the lead and dove to the inside to race Newman wheel-to-wheel through turns three and four. Newman got the better bite coming off turn four towards the checkered flag and took a .646 second victory.

“I found a streak of rubber in the middle groove where I could get a good bite and that’s where I committed to run,” Newman said. “I saw Breuer inside of me on the last lap, and I’m glad he stayed down there and didn’t slide up into me. It was pretty tight working through the lapped traffic, but I wasn’t going to move out of my groove.”

Breuer had to settle for second in the AES Racing Special, but his finish gave him the point lead by six points over two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series Champion David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, Tenn., who came back from a lap 35 spin and finished fifth in the Eads Farms/Dixon Plumbing Warrior.

Neil Baggett of Shannon, MS finished third in the Montgomery Farms Special and Michael Blount of Sumrall, MS earned the Hedman Husler of the Race Award after starting 19th and finishing fourth.

Finishing behind Gentry in the sixth spot was Johnny Stokes of Columbus, Miss. Stokes led the first 24 laps of the race and was also the fast qualifier for the event with a time of 15.740 seconds around the ¼-mile high-banked gumbo clay oval.

Rounding out the top ten were Bobby Jordan of McCarley, Miss., Brent Barrett of Cleveland, Miss., Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, Ga., and John Polasini of Leland, Miss.

Stokes took the lead at the start, followed by Palasini, Newman, and Jake Knight, and Harrison. Breuer got by Harrison and Knight to move up to the fourth spot on lap three. Gentry, who was tied with Breuer for the point lead going into the race, charged from his 13th starting spot to move up to ninth by lap four.

Newman went to the inside of Palasini on lap eight to take over second coming off the second turn. Gentry moved up to the eighth spot on lap nine, and the leaders began to catch the cars on the tail of the lead lap by lap ten. That enabled Newman to close in on Stokes and the lead duo raced side-by-side for the lead with Stokes on the outside and Newman on the inside.

The first of seven caution flags came out on lap 17 when Knight sailed off the banking of turn three. Stokes led Newman, Palasini, Breuer, Baggett, Harrison, Gentry, Barrett, Turner and Edge down for the restart.

Stokes and Newman picked up their battle for the lead, while Gentry got by Harrison for the sixth spot with an inside move on lap 20. Newman got a run on Stokes coming off the second turn on lap 25, and took the lead going down the backstretch.

Breuer passed Palasini for the third position on lap 27 going down the backstretch, and Gentry drove under Baggett coming off turn four on lap 31 to take over fifth. Breuer got around Stokes for the second spot on lap 33.

The battle for third heated up and came to a boil on lap 35 when Stokes, Palasini and Gentry raced three-wide down the backstretch. The three cars made contact, and Gentry spun across the track and sailed backwards off the third turn banking. Gentry was able to restart from the 17th spot as the last car on the lead lap.

When the field went back to green, Travis Mosley of spun to relight the caution bulb. The next restart saw Palasini challenge Stokes for third. The two cars made contact in turn two and Stokes spun, collecting Mark Tice and Shannon Lee. Both Tice and Lee were done for the night, and Stokes was ticketed with the caution flag. It was the end of the tough weekend for Tice. On Friday night, Tice missed qualifying after his son fell in the pit area and broke his arm, sending him to the hospital.

Tice then had to start at the tail of a heat race and was working his way through the field for a transfer spot, but something broke on his race car, sending him to the pits. Tice did not transfer in Saturday’s B-Main and after taking a provisional, he started the main event from the 22nd starting spot. Tice was closing in on the top ten at the time he was collected in the lap 36 accident. All of this misfortune earned Tice the Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award.

After the next restart, Dye spun in turn four on lap 37, and the field was slowed again on lap 38 when Turner spun after cutting down a tire while running sixth. Newman led Breuer, Palasini, Blount, Baggett, Harrison, Gentry, Jordan, Stokes and Barrett down for the restart. Blount had made some strong inside moves on each restart to move up through the field.

Blount got by Palasini for third on the restart, but Baggett made a move up to third on lap 39. Palasini pulled alongside Blount to battle for the fourth spot on lap 40 when the two cars made contact on the front straightaway. That brought out the seventh and final caution flag that was charged to Palasini.

The lineup for the 11-lap dash to the finish saw Newman leading Breuer followed by Baggett, Blount, Gentry, Harrison, Stokes, Jordan, Barrett, and Edge. Stokes passed Harrison for fifth on lap 43, and with three laps to go, Newman began to run up on lapped traffic.

Breuer began to close on Newman, and when the leaders took the white flag, Breuer was right on Newman’s back bumper. Breuer ran down Newman going down the backstretch, and he dove to the inside in turn three.

Breuer got alongside Newman in turn four and the top two cars looked at the checkered flag waving in front of them coming off the final corner. Newman got the better bite in his middle groove and beat Breuer back to the finish line.