Riley Hickman picked up $2,000 for his Steelhead victory at Volunteer.
Super Late Model cars running under the sanction of the Southern All Stars Dirt Racing Series were the primary attraction at the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. on Saturday night. But the Scott Sexton Memorial event at the Joe And Phyllis Loven owned facility also featured racing in the Limited Late Model, Crate Late Model and Modified Hobby classes.
The Limited(Steelhead) Late Model class offered a $2,000-to-win purse which attracted 18 cars to the high banked track.
Cory Hedgecock set fast time in qualifying with a lap of 12.910 seconds around the 3/8 mile clay oval. With the entire starting lineup for the feature being determined by time-trials, he was joined on the grid by Trevor Sise, Ross White, Greg Estes, John Tweed and Bobby Giffin.
On the initial start of the 35-lap feature, Ross White spun in turn two to bring out a caution flag. Track officials then reset the starting lineup for a second attempt at racing under green. On the second start, Sise bolted from his outside front row starting spot to take the early lead. However, his No. 73 machine experienced a mechanical failure just one lap later which forced him out of the race.
From that point, the race looked as if it might go the way so many other Limited Late Model events have gone in east Tennessee this season as Hedgecock took the lead and began to pull away from the pack. In the mean time, seventh starting Riley Hickman charged through the top-5 and had placed himself in the runner-up spot by the tenth lap.
Hedgecock worked through slower traffic as the race reached its middle stages, which allowed Hickman to close the gap between himself and the leader. At the same time, a furious battle raged for the 4th spot between Tweed, Estes, Giffin and tenth starting Jason Welshan as those cars swapped positions multiple times.
As the race reached the halfway mark, Hedgecock found himself trapped behind slower cars. That provided Hickman with the opportunity he needed. The Chattanooga driver swept to the lead in traffic.
A lap 22 caution for the spinning car of Dustin Diden briefly bunched the field and also gave the leaders a brief reprieve from lapped traffic. On the restart, Hickman surged to a lead of several car lengths as Hedgecock tried valiantly to keep pace. At lap 31, the leaders again reached the tail of the pack but the second place runner was unable to return the favor of passing for the top spot done on him earlier in the race.
At the finish, it was Riley Hickman winning over Cory Hedgecock, Ross White, Greg Estes, John Tweed, Bobby Giffin and Jason Manley.
Steve Jones drove Jason Welshan’s Crate Late Model to the win at Volunteer.
The Jason Welshan Express brought three cars to Volunteer Speedway on Saturday evening. The owner himself drove in the Super and Limited Late Model classes while Steve Jones would be assigned the duties of piloting the Crate Late Model machine.
The No. 29 car hardly skipped a beat with its new chauffer as Jones set fast time in qualifying with a time of 13.377 seconds. Also earning top-5 starting spots were Jerry Broyles, Jensen Ford, Tim Byrd and Tim Maupin.
Byrd would drop from competition with a mechanical problem just as the cars began their pace laps for the feature.
On the initial start of the main event, it appeared as if disaster had struck the pole sitter when he spun in turn four after losing the early lead to Broyles. But since a full lap had not yet been completed, the field was reset and Jones was given his position back.
On the second attempt at a start, Jones bolted to the lead with Broyles and sixth starting Bryson Dennis hot on his trail. At times, the Welshan owned and prepared car surged out to a lead of over a full straightaway as the top-5 cars strung out around the track.
A lap 21 caution for a blown engine on the car of 6th place running Forrest Trent brought the pack back together again. But Jones would once more pull out to a relatively comfortable margin over Broyles while Dennis, Maupin and Warren McMahan mixed it up for 3rd just behind the lead duo.
Ultimately, Jones would drive on to the win in the 30-lap feature.
At the finish, it was Steve Jones winning over Jerry Broyles, Bryson Dennis, Tim Maupin, Warren McMahan and Gary Crittenden.
