What could be hotter then the month of July around Dominion Raceway? Try Late Model racer Nick Smith who in recent weeks has been the winner of four straight going into the weekends racing. If you ever talk racing with Smith and how well things have been. The conversations are never about last week or the week before. Instead Smith talks about the now, what he and his race team needs to do for the night.

Though Smith will crack a smile at how the fortunes of the season has gone his way, he also knows those fortunes can change. Doug Barnes Jr is doing all he can on his own, sporting a race win to his credit, Barnes has only finished outside the top five only once this season. Going into this weeks racing, Barnes sits second in the series points after leading for many weeks. While the racing has been tight at the top, the restarts after cautions have been awesome at Dominion Raceway. Doug Barnes Jr has been pulling out all the tricks on Smith lately doing everything to get Smith to flinch and make mistakes. What will go on this week?

Late Model qualifying took place and Nick Smith won the pole with a lap at 15.384 sec or 93.604 mph which was just fifty two thousandths quicker then Matt Bowling’s lap. Michael Hardin qualified well in third as did Doug Barnes Jr and Johnathan Findley as the five best on the grid. Other notables who were ones to watch was Trent Barnes starting sixth and Eddie Johnson eighth. Before the race, a six position invert was decided by a pill draw forcing Smith to start sixth. Benefitting from the draw and leading the field to the green was Trent Barnes. On back as the field battled for position, Nick Smith was the early mover and soon found himself second setting sights on the leader Trent Barnes. A few laps later, Smith began his assault and made his way to the lead as lap nine goes on the board.

Making a few moves as well was Matt Bowling as was Findley as the bunch was all single file in chase of the leader. Laps later in the run, Smith amassed a sizable lead before the races first caution waved. Just as the field would go green again, the yellow soon displayed as Owen Smith and Mark Miller get together. Lap twenty four restart and Smith is all business securing the point but Doug Barnes Jr was there to put pressure on the leader.

Eventually, Barnes was able to get side by side with the leader to battle for the race lead but at this point came up short. Lap forty four and the race was once again halted by a caution period involving Trent Barnes and Robert Bruce. Back to the green and again this week, Doug Barnes is accused of jumping the start forcing officials to call it off. At this point, caution laps were being counted as once again, a Smith and Barnes front row restart was on the way.

Lap fifty one now and the green waves over the track once again, Smith makes quick work of Doug Barnes this time bringing along the likes of Bowling, Liberman and Hardin into the fray as laps whine down. Bowling soon would battle Barnes for second but meanwhile, Smith was getting away. Barnes held off the charging Bowling to maintain the two spot on the grid but lap seventy five went up on the board and crossing the stripe first was Nick Smith uncontested for his fifth consecutive win at Dominion Raceway.

Doug Barnes Jr finished second followed by Matt Bowling in third. Doug Liberman was solid finishing fourth and Michael Hardin finished in fifth. Late Model race action continues next weekend July 9th when the series races another seventy five lap feature.

Race Results:
1 #12 Nick Smith
2 #88 Doug Barnes Jr
3 #83 Matt Bowling
4 #56 Doug Liberman
5 #7 Michael Hardin
6 #36c Chris Johnson
7 #57 Eddie Johnson
8 #21 Mike Darne
9 #82 Mike Ganoe
10 #29 Robert Bruce
11 #07 Richard Storm
12 #36 Owen Smith
13 #9 Mark Miller
14 #82b Cameron Burke
15 #4 Johnathan Findley
16 #1 Trent Barnes
17 #83b Barry Beebe
18 #2 Teddy Brown