A night after running third in a Super Late Model showdown at 411 Motor Speedway in Seymour, Tn., Cory Hedgecock (#23) changed to his Steelhead Late Model and headed to I-75 Speedway's Topless Outlaw Late Model event Saturday in nearby Sweetwater. The Loudon, Tn., racer didn't disappoint race fans as the "Ohlins, EZ-GO. Eagle Race Engines" pilot held off Knoxville's Kyle Courtney and Cleveland's John Ownbey for the $2,500 payday.
Fans at I-75 got an extra treat as three "blasts from the past" entrants entered Saturday's race.
Former two time Dirt Track World Champion Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, former Dirt Late Model National Champion Skip Arp of Georgetown and Tennessee Hall of Famer Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville all competed Saturday. RJ finished highest among the veterans in sixth.
Crossville racer Jesse Lowe doubled-down and won both the Crate Late Model and Sportsman feature Saturday at Mountain View Raceway in Dayton/Spring City. Andy Pickelsimer (#1) of Ooltewah picked up another Super Late Model feature win Saturday night at Fort Payne Motor Speedway in Alabama.
Illinois racer Brandon Sheppard proved why he's the "Best of Both Worlds" Saturday as the #1 "Valvoline/Rocket Housecar" racer won the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model series race worth $53,000. Sheppard leads the rival World of Outlaws Late Model series points, but with his series off for a few weeks, this weekend's "Silver Dollar Nationals" was ripe for the picking. LODLM series points leader Jimmy Owens of Tennessee ran second early in the race but did not finish the 101 lapper. The Clarksville (Tn.) Speedway is set to run a special Sunday nighter as the Hell Tour Summer Nationals UMP series lays over a night after Brian Shirley picked up a $10,000 victory at the track North of Nashville.
The final race of the 12-race mini series that was the 2020 Ray Cook promoted Southern Nationals at the Tazewell (Tn.) Speedway proved to be the hardest for the series regulars. Virginia's Dakota Knuckles, a track regular survived the 53 lap $10,053 to-Win finale Saturday inheriting the lead from Chickamauga's Dale McDowell during a caution. McDowell was set on cruise control when he, like many in the field Saturday night, caught a flat right rear tire.
Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., narrowly cracked the Top 5 at the finish to win his second consecutive Southern Nationals points championship. Five time Southern Nationals Series champion Chris Madden of Gray Court, SC was 9th Saturday night and finished second to Overton in the series. Overton got 6 wins of the series, while Madden got four over the two-week span of races.