Weekend Recap will be a regular feature throughout the 2017 season on InsideDirtRacing.com. Here, a brief summary of the various national and regional touring series that impact the east Tennessee area will provide a quick review of what happened over the past weekend.
It proved to be quite a weekend for Longhorn Chassis as four of the race winners listed below(McCreadie, Overton, Roberts and Collins) all drove that chassis brand.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series: Tim McCreadie earned the pole for the Bad Boy 98 at the Batesville Motor Speedway by virtue of his heat race victory on Friday night. Jimmy Owens would start on the outside of the front row with other preliminary winners Jack Sullivan and Josh Richards making up the second row on the starting grid for the $20,000-to-win feature.
Once the feature took the green flag it was all McCreadie as he bolted to the early lead and remained there throughout the full 98-lap distance of the race. However, the New York native did have to hold off a hard charging Scott Bloomquist to secure the win as Bloomquist moved up from his ninth starting position to finish as the runner-up. Shannon Babb, Josh Richards and Don O’Neal rounded out the top-5.
Bloomquist leads the current series standings over Richards, McCreadie, Owens and Earl Pearson, Jr.
Click here for a full rundown and complete race story.
Tim McCreadie collected $20,000 for his win in Batesville
Ultimate Super Late Model Series: The Ultimate SLM Series ventured to the Virginia Motor Speedway to contest a $20,000-to-win race of its own on Saturday night.
Jonathan Davenport went to the early lead but Brandon Overton overtook him on lap 28 and then outran Dale McDowell over the second half of the 60-lap distance to secure the most lucrative win of his career. Overton’s No. 116 beat McDowell, Mike Marlar, Davenport and Chris Madden to the checkered flag.
Overton is the current series standings leader.
Brandon Overton
Ironman Challenge: The Iron-Man Championship Series visited the I-75 Raceway in Sweetwater, Tenn. for a $3,000-to-win affair. Kenny Collins set fast time in qualifying and earned the right to start the feature from the pole. The Georgia driver then took the lead at the start of the race and never looked back as he led all 30 laps of the main event to finish in front of David Payne, 12-year-old Carder Miller, Billy Ogle, Jr. and Benji Shaw.
Click here for a full rundown and complete race story.
Kenny Collins went the distance to score the Iron-Man win
Southern All Star Series: The Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series made its way to Georgia’s Cochran Motor Speedway for a $7,500-to-win event on Saturday evening.
Travis Pennington took the early lead but was chased down by Casey Roberts. On lap 31 there was contact between the two and a slower car as they raced in traffic. That opened the door for Roberts who went on to lead the remainder of the 60-lap distance. Roberts finished ahead of Pennington, Michael Page, Austin Horton and Jason Fitzgerald.
Roberts is the current leader in the SAS standings.
Casey Roberts
NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series: The NeSmith Series opened its 2017 campaign with two consecutive nights of action at Mississippi’s Greenville Speedway on Friday and Saturday.
Local star Greg Fore assumed the lead of the race with just three laps remaining on Friday evening when Grant Garrison suffered mechanical issues. Fore picked up $2,000 for his efforts as he beat Chase Washington, Cory Hedgecock, Cody Smith and Peter Hazzard to the finish line.
Defending series champion Cory Hedgecock started from the pole and drove to a $2,500 victory on Saturday night at Greenville over Brandon Williams, Joseph Joiner, Peter Hazzard and Chase Washington.
Hedgecock currently holds the series points lead.
Cory Hedgecock
