Along with the $3500-to-win Crate Late Model feature race, Boyd’s Speedway also offered up competition in the Limited Late Model and Sportsman Late Model classes as part of the 2nd annual Craig Reece Memorial event. Cory Hedgecock and Booger Brooks came away from the Ringgold, GA track as the winners in those two feature races.
Cory Hedgecock drove this No. 9 machine to victory at Boyd’s
Hedgecock led the field of 18 Limited Late Models in qualifying by turning a lap of 14.781 seconds around the third-mile clay oval. With the entire starting grid established by time-trials that left Justin Litchford, Eddie King, Jr., Zach Pilcher, Eric Webber, Kevin Gibson, Tod Hernandez, Andy Miller, Aaron Wilson and Robby Mason to round out the top-10 on the starting grid.
Hedgecock began his domination of the 25-lap feature right away as he shot to the lead when the green flag unfurled. Litchford, Pilcher, Gibson and King pursued the front runner in the early laps of a race that would eventually run caution free.
Hedgecock began to pull away from the pack as soon as the second lap when he already had built an advantage of several car lengths. Meanwhile, Pilcher, Gibson, King and Miller engaged in a hard fought battle for positions 3-6 over the course of the race’s first half.
By lap 9 Hedgecock found himself mired in heavy traffic, with some of the cars racing in three-wide formation just in front of the race leader. Further back, Pilcher broke away from his previous battle and closed in on Litchford to contest the runner-up spot.
On lap 14 the intensity level picked up behind the front runner as Pilcher went three-wide with Litchford and a slower car before capturing the second position. Gibson also closed in on Litchford to fight for the third spot.
In the end, however, it was Cory Hedgecock getting the win over Zach Pilcher, Justin Litchford, Kevin Gibson, Andy Miller, Eric Webber, Robby Mason, Oliver Gentry, Aaron Wilson and Tod Hernandez.
Booger Brooks won the Sportsman feature on Sunday at Boyd’s
Booger Brooks and Bobby Doss started the Sportsman feature from the front row as a result of their heat race wins. Colten Jackson, Mike Franks, Andrew Bailey, Aaron Guinn, Patrick Harvey and Michael Arp would make up the top-8 on the starting grid.
Brooks took the early lead in the 20-lap feature with Doss, Jackson and Bailey racing three-wide behind him for second as the cars completed their first lap. Bailey would eventually get by Doss to claim second on lap 3.
Brooks encountered heavy lapped traffic on lap 6 but was able to maintain a relatively comfortable working margin over his pursuers.
A series of caution flags would slow the action in this feature throughout with multi-car incidents taking place during the event.
Brooks was able to beat back a mid-race challenge as Bailey and Guinn closed in briefly. The eventual winner drove away from that battle, leaving Bailey and Guinn to fight among themselves for the runner-up honors.
At the finish it was Booger Brooks taking the win over Andrew Bailey, Aaron Guinn, Mike Franks, Taylor Coles, Michael Arp, James Burkhart, Jeff Allen, Bobby Doss and David Doss.
