Kyle Strickler took the lead on lap 13
Kyle Strickler has had success in the past at Smoky Mountain Speedway and the driver continued that on Saturday night at the Maryville, Tenn. when he picked up a $2,000 victory in the Southeast Dirt Modified Series feature. It was the first series win of the season for the North Carolina resident.
Taylor Cook was fastest in qualifying among the 20 cars signed in for competition for the event as he clocked in at 16.612 seconds on the 4/10 mile clay oval. Strickler, Chris Arnold, Shon Flanary and Ryan Ayers rounded out the top-5 in time-trials.
Arnold beat out Cook to win the first heat while Flanary captured the second preliminary by beating out Strickler for the win. All four of those drivers earned their way into a redraw that would set the first two rows on the feature starting grid.
Cook was awarded the pole for the main event as a result of the redraw with Strickler, Flanary and Arnold lined up behind him.
Cook to the lead at the start of the 30-lap feature with Strickler, Flanary, Billy Workman, Jr. and Ashley Newman in his wake. Preston Seratt looked to move up early on as he challenged Newman a top-5 position on the second circuit before finally taking the spot one lap later.
Preston Seratt(29) and Ashley Newman battle early in the race
All the while, the top-2 of Cook and Strickler slipped away from the pack in the early stages as those behind them battled for position. However, the advantage enjoyed by the lead duo proved to be short-lived as a caution flag waved on the fourth lap for a flat tire on Newman’s machine.
The racing intensified on the ensuing restart as Flanary moved low in an attempt to wrest second away from Strickler. That move was denied and then Strickler himself moved up to issue his own challenge against Cook for the race lead. Just behind the front runner trio, Seratt was working on Workman as the two fought over the fourth position.
After following the leader for a few laps, Strickler closed in on and stalked Cook from laps 10 to 13. Finally, the No. 8 car seized the opportunity and threw a textbook slide job pass on the No. 21 to take the top spot on the leader board. Strickler then began to pull away from the field over the next few circuits as the battle throughout the rest of the top-5 tightened among Cook, Flanary, Workman and Seratt.
A lap 22 caution briefly slowed the action and provided Strickler’s pursuers with an opportunity to close in on the rear of his car. Cook retired from the feature under this yellow after suffering a flat right rear tire.
The racing was intense at mid-pack
Flanary drew alongside of Strickler on the lap 22 restart but was unable to complete the pass. That, in turn, allowed Workman to move up and challenge for the runner-up spot. Eventually, Workman, who drive a car owned by former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, would take the second position with just three laps remaining.
But the race belonged to Kyle Strickler as he beat the pack to the checkered flag ahead of Billy Workman, Jr., Shon Flanary, Preston Seratt and Blake Brown.
