Turn 2 Blog is a regular feature on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, site operators Michael Moats and Richard Allen take turns offering their thoughts on the dirt racing topics of the day from east Tennessee and beyond.
The latest edition of the Turn 2 Blog is presented by the American All-Star Pro Late Models Presented by PPM Racing Products
How cool is it that Skip Arp is still winning races?
Richard: As a media member, I truly don’t root for particular drivers but everyone who covers any sport roots for good stories. National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame member Skip Arp still winning races, as he did this past Saturday night in the Topless Outlaws Dirt Racing Series feature at Smoky Mountain Speedway, was cool to see. The Professor can still get it done as he showed against a nice field of Limited Late Model drivers.
After more than four decades as a driver, the Georgetown, Tennessee driver has piled up scores of feature wins and it doesn’t look like he and longtime car owner Stanley Best are finished yet. Climbing into a race car isn’t just for the purpose of taking a trip down memory lane for this driver. He’s still in it to run up front.
Racing, and particularly dirt racing, has shown itself to be a sport in which competitors can continue to succeed even after they pass the ages of 40, 50 or even 60. That’s far longer than those who compete in the so-called stick-and-ball sports. Experience seems to be as valuable, if not more so, than physical capability when it comes to driving a race car.
Like I said, I don’t root for particular drivers but I do root for a good story. Skip Arp winning a race at the age of 60 is a good story.
Skip Arp
Michael: I talked to Stanley Best for a few minutes on Saturday and we were talking about some of the older guys that are still racing in our area. Many of them are not very competitive. But Arp is getting it done. And so is his teammate Bobby Giffin who has won several feature races at I-75 Raceway this season. Giffin is around 57 himself.
One thing that has helped both of these drivers is the Capital chassis. Arp was a long-time driver of GRT cars. He and the late Joe Garrison were close friends. When Garrison passed away a few years ago, Arp was kind of lost as to finding a car that fit him. Once the team bought a Capital car and started working with Marshall Green, he kept getting better and better.
It wasn’t that long ago when Arp stepped away from racing. He was out for almost a year. For him to come back and now winning races is remarkable.
Hayden Cardwell is making a nice career for himself, isn’t he?
Richard: Hayden Cardwell has definitely emerged as a top young Dirt Late Model up-and-comer. The Knoxville driver picked up his first Crate Racin’ USA feature win this past weekend at East Alabama Motor Speedway. The Alabama State Championship victory came with a $10,000 payout.
But the EAMS effort wasn’t Cardwell’s first five-digit payday in racing. The 20-year-old ace has already earned an American All-Star Series title(2022) along with a $10,000 championship in the World of Outlaws iRacing Series back in 2020.Obviously, he has a diverse skill set.
Hayden Cardwell
It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that he his doing so well considering that he comes from a family that has been involved in racing for decades. Championships have been a part of the Cardwell clan for quite a while.
This is one of those drivers who I would like to see get a shot at racing on a broader scale at some point. As he has shown, his talents are not just limited to the tracks located in east Tennessee.
Michael: I have been around the Cardwells for years. I saw the tail of Buster’s racing career and the beginning of his son, Jason’s, career. I really thought Jason was going to be the successful one of the group. Jason has had a nice career, but no huge wins.
Now, here comes the next generation of Cardwells. Hayden looks the least like a dirt racer of the group. He looks like someone that has come up through the pavement ranks. But here he is in dirt racing and making a name for himself.
Chip Vineyard took the CVR house car out of moth balls for Hayden to race at EAMS. The move certainly paid off. The next question is whether someone will give him a look in a Limited Late Model or even a Super Late Model.
Assess Cory Hedgecock’s recent appearances outside of east Tennessee.
Richard: Over the past few weeks we have seen Loudon, Tennessee driver Cory Hedgecock step out of east Tennessee and into some of the biggest races on the Dirt Late Model schedule. Here at summer’s end the 31-year-old has competed at Eldora, Knoxville, and Brownstown either in his own No. 23 BMF Race Car or driving for one of the customers of his own chassis brand.
Hedgecock was particularly good at Brownstown where he won a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series heat race and ultimately placed fifth in the Jackson 100 feature. And keep in mind that this is a driver who has shown on more than one occasion that he can beat the national touring series drivers under the right circumstances.
The Hedgecocks are an interesting story in that they do virtually everything for their team in house in terms of building engines and chassis. And they have used that formula with great success in the east Tennessee region. At the same time, if any team is well suited to race further away from home, I would think it would be this one because of the business model they use.
There is no doubt the talent is there but going on the road is an expensive proposition. At the same time, it might be a great way to gain exposure for their engine and chassis businesses.
Cory Hedgecock in the No. 23 BMF
Michael: The Hedgecocks have built their operation the right way. Cory actually started out as a drag racer before moving into Dirt Late Models. It didn’t take long for him to get a few wins. They’ve moved up a level as they were successful on another level. More teams and drivers should do it this way. Now, they’ve gotten into the chassis business.
It’s one thing to be a chassis builder and take your car on the road to compete against the best. It’s another thing to do that and run well. And that’s what this team has done. Making the World 100 (even if things happened to others to get them in) and running 5th in the Jackson 100 has made for a good September for them. They’re doing things in a short period of time that other teams haven’t been able to do in a long time. They have things going in the right direction.
Please consider also reading:
Hudson O’Neal happy but not satisfied with runner-up finish close to home
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