CARTERSVILLE, GA – Michael Arnold of Hattiesburg, MS remains on top of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series point standings, but after Week 10 competition over the weekend, there is a new challenger on the horizon. Third-generation driver Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, MS showed up on Arnold’s home turf and made a big statement.
Palasini traveled to Hattiesburg Speedway in Hattiesburg, MS on Friday night and won his fourth straight NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Late Model race driving the MP Trucking Special to vault him up to the eighth spot in the point standings. Arnold leads the standings with 430 points after competing in nine weeks of competition, while Palasini has 248 points after just five weeks of racing.
The Weekly Point Average tells the tale of the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings. Palasini has the top WPA among the Top 20 drivers in the point standings at 49.6 out of a possible 50, while Arnold has the fifth highest WPA at 47.78.
Arnold drove The Strength Center Special to a fifth-place finish on Friday night at Hattiesburg Speedway. Arnold has six wins, eight top five finishes and ten top ten finishes in 12 races over nine weeks of NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series competition. Arnold has four wins at Hattiesburg Speedway, and one win apiece at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, MS and at St. Tammany Raceway in Lacombe, LA.
Palasini has four wins and six top five finishes in six races over five weeks. Two of Palasini’s wins have come at his home track, Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS, and he has one NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series win apiece at Underwood Speedway in Chatham, LA and Hattiesburg Speedway. In the two races that Palasini did not win, he finished third and fifth, both at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS.
Joseph Joiner of Milton, FL finished fifth on May 25 in the NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series race at Flomaton Speedway in Flomaton, AL and moved up to second in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 372 points. Joiner, who also leads the NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series point standings, has one win and eight top five finishes in nine races over eight weeks driving the Three Trade Consultants Special.
Shannon Lee of Lumberton, MS has missed the last two weeks of NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series competition and has dropped to third in the standings with 332 points. Lee has one win and nine top five finishes in nine races over seven weeks driving the Billy Riels Racing Special.
The 2013 NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series National Champion Noah Daspit of Kiln, MS is still in contention for his second $10,000 National title, and is fourth in the standings with 326 points after two wins, four top five finishes and six top ten finishes in seven races driving the Billy Riels Racing Special. Daspit finished second on Friday night at Hattiesburg Speedway.
Al Kouhout of Hattiesburg, MS is fifth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 302 points after six top ten finishes in seven races. Kouhout drove the Tophen’s Rock and Roll Grill Special to an eighth-place finish on Friday night at Hattiesburg Speedway.
Cruz Skinner of Oxford, AL is sixth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 291 points after a second-place finish on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. The 13-year-old driver has four wins, six top five finishes, and seven top ten finishes in seven races over six weeks of racing driving the Skinner’s Body Shop CVR.
Skinner also leads the Sunoco Young Guns Challenge Series point standings for NeSmith Late Model drivers 18 years of age and younger. Skinner is a NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series title contender and has the third highest WPA among the Top 20 in the point standings at 48.5.
Three-time NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series West Region Champion Lucky Keeton of Collinsville, MS did not compete in Week 10 action and dropped to seventh in the standings with 282 points. Keeton has one win, five top five finishes and seven top ten finishes in eight races over six weeks of competition in the Byram Trucking GRT.
Bobby Jordan of McCarley, MS is ninth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series standings with 246 points after competing in seven races over six weeks driving the SMJ Race Parts Trak-Star.
Adam Cummings of Odenville, AL drove the Cummings Racing GRT to his first NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Late Model win of the season on Saturday night at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Cummings will be a driver to watch in the weeks ahead, as he moved into the tenth spot in the standings 243 points. Cummings has one win and five top five finishes in five races. He also has the second highest WPA at 48.6.
In other NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 10 action, Cody Smith of Holt, FL drove the Smith’s Performance Rocket to his second win of the season on May 25 in the NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series race at Flomaton Speedway. Two-time NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Champion Eric Cooley of Fulton, MS was the winner on Friday night at Magnolia Motor Speedway in the Bryson Motorsports/Cooley Transportation Special.
Daniel Smith of Beloit, KS won the first-ever NeSmith/NCRA Late Model Series race on Saturday night at 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS driving the NCK Webtech Special. Ronnie Cooper of McKenzie, TN drove the Ronnie Cooper Trucking Rocket to his second win of the season on Saturday night at Camden Speedway in Camden, TN. Taylor Jarvis of Milton, FL won the NeSmith Panhandle Challenge Series race on Saturday night at Northwest Florida Speedway in Baker, FL driving the Jarvis Racing Special.
There were three NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Week 10 rainouts that began on Thursday night at Talladega Short Track. Battleground Race Park in Highlands, TX and Greenville Speedway were rained out on Saturday night.
Rocket Chassis of Shinnston, WV continues to lead the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Chassis Manufactures Challenge, as wins by Smith and Cooper have brought their season win total to six. Cummings gave four-time champion GRT Race Cars of Greenbrier, AR their fourth win of the second and into a tie for the second spot with CVR Race Cars of Lenoir City, TN.
The defending and three-time champion Trak-Star Race Cars built by Boland Performance of Cuba, AL is fourth in the NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Chassis Manufacturers Challenge with two wins, and Warrior Race Cars built by Goddard Performance of Knoxville, TN is still looking for their first win of the season.
A total of 226 different drivers have earned NeSmith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series points in the first ten weeks of competition. For complete point standings, more information and rules 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. You can follow us on Twitter @NeSmithRacing.
NeSMITH CHEVROLET WEEKLY RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS THROUGH 5/30/15:
POS
CAR #
DRIVER
PTS
RACES
WINS
TOP 5
TOP 10
WKS/NET
WPA
1
4
Michael Arnold
430
12
6
8
10
9
47.78
2
10
Joseph Joiner
372
9
1
8
8
8
46.50
3
47
Shannon Lee
332
9
1
9
9
7
47.43
4
347
Noah Daspit
326
7
2
4
6
7
46.57
5
41
Al Kouhout
302
7
6
7
43.14
6
11
Cruz Skinner – Y
291
7
4
6
7
6
48.50
7
22
Lucky Keeton
282
8
1
5
7
6
47.00
8
8
Mike Palasini Jr.
248
6
4
6
6
5
49.60
9
J8
Bobby Jordan
246
7
6
41.00
10
81
Adam Cummings
243
5
1
5
5
5
48.60
11
C11
Cliff Williams
241
7
1
4
5
5
48.20
12
7
Hunter Lewis
240
6
1
4
6
40.00
13
77
Robbie Starnes
236
6
1
5
6
5
47.20
14
00
Monte Skinner
228
5
3
4
5
45.60
15
232
Jamey Boland
226
6
3
4
5
45.20
16
7
Cole Daffron – Y
225
5
2
4
5
45.00
17
17
Greg Fore
224
7
2
4
5
44.80
18
110
Brent Barrett
224
6
2
5
5
44.80
19
25
Josh Huss
224
6
3
6
5
44.80
20
1b
Bryant Marsh – Y
223
6
3
4
5
44.60
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: NeSmith Chevrolet weekly racing series week 10 round up