Cory Hedgecock and crew in I-75 victory lane
The Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series rolled into the I-75 Raceway on Saturday afternoon to contest its third event of this winter season. After a caution-free day of racing that was decided as the leaders raced among slower traffic, it was Cory Hedgecock who claimed the win at the Sweetwater, Tennessee track. The Black Diamond Chassis driver from Loudon, Tennessee earned $5,000 for his efforts.
A total of 25 cars were signed in for competition.
Jensen Ford was fastest in qualifying by turning a lap in 14.077 seconds around the 3/8 mile clay oval besting Eli Beets, Christian Hanger, Cory Hedgecock, Sam Seawright and Ross Bailes.
Jensen Ford won the first heat race of the topping Cory Hedgecock, Bobby Giffin, Anthony Sanders and Michael Asberry.
Eli Beets bested Ben Watkins, Sam Seawright, Ethan Wilson and Forrest Trent in the second preliminary.
Christian Hanger was the victor of the third and final heat ahead of Ross Bailes, Carson Ferguson, Clay Coghlan and Cory Lawler.
Dalton Cook defeated Jeff Neubert, Gary Dillon, David Yandle and Andy Standridge in the lone Last Chance Showdown of the day.
The Xtreme Dirtcar redraw set the first three rows for the feature as Watkins, Hedgecock, Bailes, Hanger, Ford and Beets.
At the start of the 40-lap main event it was Bailes who bolted to the lead with Watkins, Hedgecock, Hanger and Ford in his tire tracks. Beets moved forward on the second lap when he passed by Ford with an outside move. One lap later, the No. 109 stayed on the outside to take fourth away from Hanger.
By lap 5, Bailes looked poised to pull away from the pack as he built a lead of almost a full straightaway with Watkins and Hedgecock remaining as his closest pursuers. However, traffic would quickly become a factor in a feature that would run its full distance without a yellow flag.
Hedgecock swept by Watkins to assume second in the running order on lap 8 and then set off after the race leader. Further back, Beets and Ford were involved in a tight battle for fifth. At the same time, Ferguson began knocking on the door of the top-5 as he passed Hanger for sixth on lap 18.
Hedgecock began to close in on Bailes as both cars maneuvered in and around slower traffic as the race worked into its second half. Watkins fell back to join the fight with the fast rising Ferguson and Beets for the remaining positions within the top-5.
Hedgecock moved to the rear spoiler of Bailes as the laps clicked off. With Bailes trapped behind a lapper, Hedgecock used that slower car as a pick then moved to the outside and swung around the No. 79 machine to claim the lead with just three circuits remaining.
Ultimately, Hedgecock would sail under the checkered flag to claim the victory on his home track.
Feature Finish: 1. Cory Hedgecock, 2. Ross Bailes, 3. Carson Ferguson, 4. Ben Watkins, 5. Eli Beets, 6. Jensen Ford, 7. Sam Seawright, 8. Christian Hanger, 9. Forrest Trent, 10. Dalton Cook, 11. Bobby Giffin, 12. Ethan Wilson, 13. Michael Asberry, 14. Anthony Sanders, 15. Gary Dillon, 16. Cory Lawler, 17. Clay Coghlan, 18. Tim Vance, 19. Jeff Neubert, 20. David Yandle, 21. Jonathan Ingram, 22. Andy Standridge
