By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
Evan Ellis had a lighter, less powerful motor in a division in which he’d never competed.
But at Magnolia Motor Speedway, where the “black ice” can negate horsepower advantages, Ellis, who normally competes in NeSmith Late Model races with a 604 Crate motor, wasn’t fazed by cars running the aluminum Chevrolet Spec motors.
He just had to qualify well and avoid wrecks in the Chevrolet Performance 525 Late Model Series feature Saturday night.
He did both, starting on the outside of row 2 and steering clear of the five wrecks that marred the first 10 laps of the race.
He’d need to fend off one of Late Model racing’s most successful drivers and defending 525 points champion, Ronnie Johnson, to earn the win.
After Johnson led more than half the laps in the 40-lap feature, Ellis passed Johnson on lap 37 and needed another final push to get around Johnson on the outside of turn 4 for a photo finish at line.
“I knew I had to get up there and hold it to the mat,” Ellis said. “Don’t get off or let it push, because the lap before, [Johnson] kind of got up there into me and killed my momentum. But that lap car right in front, I knew it’d be a photo finish.”
Johnson, who has a win and two second place finishes through three 525 Series races this season, was a monster on re-starts, routinely opening up a two-to-three car gap within the first lap.
But Ellis overcame a mechanical issue that developed late in the race to mow down Johnson.
“I had a problem coming on with about 10 to go,” Ellis said. “My right front started locking up with my three and four brake switch, so I felt it, went up there and cleared it, and it was like it freed it. It started getting back some momentum. That’s when I caught him and passed him.”
Ellis’ approach throughout the race was to run the high line of the track, while Johnson opted to hug the cushion. The contrasting approaches led to a dizzying final five laps in which the pair traded the lead a handful of times and had to navigate multiple lap-cars to the checkered flag.
“I could keep the car in the bottom and catch what little bit of moisture was left in the corners,” Johnson said. “I might have gotten a little conservative there with five to go, but when Evan started racing me and I had to start picking it up, I couldn’t get back going again. I don’t know if we have an option of a softer tire — he may have had a softer one … I ran a harder one. I don’t know.
“Main thing, I think he knows the track a bit better. He found the top line to work. I tried a bit earlier and I couldn’t come off the corner up there, so I felt like I needed to stick to what was working. I had him back on the last lap, and the only thing that could have saved the win for me … I would have had to been really protective, probably would have taken us both out.”
Ellis is a regular at Magnolia Motor Speedway, where he’s won the last two Limited Late Model/Crate points championships at the track.
“I’ve run against Ronnie Johnson on the touring series,” Ellis said. “I knew they were faster. But if we could qualify in the Top 10, once the track slicked, the little motor would be equal.”
Both drivers were fortunate to escape a sloppy first quarter of the race, where two wrecks that involved the pole-sitter Ryan King, and three that happened on re-start laps knocked a string of cars out of the race, either temporarily or for good.
“I got collected in Turn 1 and the 55 spun out,” said Johnson, who started third. “I had a little bit of nose damage, but fortunate that didn’t cut a tire down and take us out.”
Johnny Stokes finished third, while Tyler Crowder and Mario Gresham rounded out the top 5.
In other races:
n Ronny Lee Hollingsworth held off Chad Thrash to win the Super Late Model race. Neil Baggett, Jamie Tollison and Rick Rickman rounded out the top 5.
n Jeremy Shaw won his third straight NeSmith Late Model/Limited Late Model race. Billy Tedford, Shay Knight, Mark Stokes, Shelby Sheedy.
n Stacy Robinson won the Street Stocks feature. Tony Silvestri, Lee Ray, Terry Taylor and Mark Barnett rounded out the top 5.
n Jason Byrd held off wife Jennifer Byrd at the line to win the Factory Stock feature. Josh Lawley, Andy King and Billy Yarbrough rounded out the top 5.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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