First-time winners and returning stars shine bright at DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship

BIG STAGE SUCCESS: First-time winners and returning stars shine bright at DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship

From first female winner to undefeated champion, The Dirt Track at Charlotte had it all

Story By: Jordan DeLucia/DIRTcar

CONCORD, NC — Nov. 2, 2019 — After 13 Features and four Invitationals with more than 400 racecars across nine divisions, the DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship wrapped up Saturday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Among the many highlights from this year’s event was Brayden Pruitt becoming the first woman to win a Feature at The Dirt Track at Charlotte when she captured the COMP CAMS Mini Stock main event; Mitchell Duvall remaining undefeated in the DRIVEN Racing Oil Crate Sportsman division, winning for the fourth consecutive year; Nick Hoffman, the 2019 DIRTcar UMP Modified national champion, DIRTcar Nationals champion and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals champion, powering to victory in the Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modified Feature on Saturday; and competitors from 18 states, Canada and Australia descending upon Charlotte for this year’s event.

Overall, each division of racing had its own excitement:

FOX RACING SHOX PRO LATE MODELS: For the first time in DRIVEN World Short Track Championship history, there’s a back-to-back winner of the FOX Racing SHOX DIRTcar/SECA Pro Late Models, and his name is “Downtown” Michael Brown.

Adding to his 2018 victory, Brown bolstered his stellar 2019 season by besting the 27-car field on Saturday night in dominating fashion, taking the lead from polesitter Timmie Harrelson on lap 5 and leading the rest of the way to claim the second win of his career at Charlotte.

At the line, Brown still had a 3.78-second advantage over runner-up Harrelson, but it was larger before he caught the tail-end of the field in the closing laps. Overall, Brown said it came down to his great crew and even better equipment.

“I’m blessed to be in this position, this is awesome,” Brown said. “Having a good shock guy really helped me out. Wesley Page at WP Racing Shocks, he dials this thing in and I just hold the wheel straight.” — By Jordan DeLucia

FOX Racing SHOX Pro Late Model Feature (25 laps) — 1. 32-Michael Brown [3] [$4,000]; 2. 89-Timmie Harrelson [1] [$2,000]; 3. 6B-Dillon Brown [2] [$1,000]; 4. 75-Brett Hamm [8] [$900]; 5. 17-Logan Roberson [6] [$800]; 6. 55-Matt Long [10] [$700]; 7. 26jr -Jimmy Sharpe Jr. [19] [$600]; 8. O8-Layton Sullivan [4] [$550]; 9. T1-Timbo Mangum [5] [$500]; 10. 44-John Ruggiero Jr. [16] [$450]; 11. 23-Cory Hedgecock [17] [$400]; 12. 27H-Justin Hudspeth [9] [$400]; 13. 88-Trent Ivey [7] [$400]; 14. 67-Bryan Mullis [11] [$400]; 15. 27-Tyler Carpenter [22] [$400]; 16. 23B-Billy Green [25] [$400]; 17. 23G-Corey Gordon [12] [$400]; 18. 101-Forrest Trent [24] [$400]; 19. 6-Isaak Love [23] [$400]; 20. OO2-Tyler Arrington [20] [$400]; 21. 2X-Jared Powell [14] [$400]; 22. 2-Ronald Geehring [26] [$400]; 23. 6o-Cody Overton [18] [$400]; 24. OO-Carson Ferguson [13] [$400]; 25. 6H-Clay Harris [21] [$400]; 26. 78-Hank Taylor [27] [$400]; 27. 6J-Jacob Brown [15].

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT UMP MODIFIEDS: If there were any driver in the 47-car UMP Modified field suited most to win on a big stage like Charlotte, it would be last year’s champion in the Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modifieds, Nick Hoffman.

Wrapping up a highly successful season behind the wheel of his FOX Racing SHOX #2 as 2019 DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals champion, the Mooresville, NC-native continued his winning streak at The Dirt Track by leading all 25 laps en route to his third-career victory in the event. Hoffman was also victorious in the All-Star Invitational Feature last year.

He may have led every lap, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have his challenges. Hoffman battled through multiple restarts and some of the best competition he’s seen all year behind him, namely fellow Mooresville-native, Kyle Strickler. Once Hoffman got deep into lapped traffic in the final five laps, “The Highside Tickler” cracked the whip and passed Taylor Cook for second. Cook then spun out in turn one, placing Strickler on Hoffman’s rear bumper for the restart with less than five circuits to go.

“When [Strickler] pops up in second place, it’s always nerve-wracking,” Hoffman said. “Going into this race, we knew it would be tough to beat him. Us two, we’ve had really good racecars all year.”

In the end, Hoffman prevailed, holding off Strickler to get the big check. What seemed to win him the race was his ability to sort through lapped traffic efficiently and protect his lead, vital to winning under such a hot spotlight.

“I had a bit of a lead for a while, then I got to the lapped cars and it got tight,” Hoffman said. “I kind of didn’t know which way to go … but lapped traffic is always nerve-wracking, just have to get through it as fast as you can, and it all just worked out in my favor.” — By Jordan DeLucia

Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modified Feature (25 Laps) — 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [1]; 2. 8-Kyle Strickler [5]; 3. K19-Will Krup [3]; 4. 11X-Tyler Carpenter [10]; 5. 35-David Stremme [8]; 6. 7T-Christian Thomas [14]; 7. 21h-Clay Harris [12]; 8. 71D-Dan Davis [13]; 9. 7D-Drake Troutman [7]; 10. 12-Kevin Weaver [11]; 11. 17c-Coleman Evans [23]; 12. 27x-Steve Rex [20]; 13. 96-Slade Parsons [4]; 14. 84-Ryan Toole [26]; 15. 8a-Austin Holcombe [15]; 16. 43-Joshua Harris [16]; 17. 1-Jake Gibbons [24]; 18. 11w-Beau Aikey [22]; 19. 537-Jesse Rockett [18]; 20. 21-Taylor Cook [6]; 21. 97-Billy Workman [21]; 22. 6a-Ryan Ayers [9]; 23. 10-Daniel Parker [17]; 24. 1K-Kyle Peterson [19]; 25. 14D-David Taylor [25]; 26. 17T-Michael Tarlton [2]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 17c-Coleman Evans[+12]

VP RACING FUELS SPORTSMAN MODIFIEDS: Jackson Gil, from Plessis NY, is now a two-time winner of the DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. The young gun hinted he may be moving up a division in 2020, so if this was his last hurrah in the VP Racing Fuel DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds he made it count.

Gil could hardly contain his excitement in Victory Lane.

“This is probably one of the biggest races that you can win,” he said. “To win two years in a row is unbelievable.”

The pilot of the No. 60 Troyer chassis VP Racing Fuels DIRTcar Sportsman Modified had to make a dicey move to take the win. Gil made contact with then leader Garrison Krentz from Lockport, NY on his way to Victory Lane.

“I didn’t have many laps left and well we all hate making moves like that but at the end of the day you gotta do what you gotta do to get the win,” he said.

Both drivers shook hands and agreed it was all hard racing.

Robert Bublak, an Albany-Saratoga regular, took home second place while Krentz held on for third.

Pole-sitter Corey Cormier lead the 29-car field to the green flag for the 30-lap Feature. The first restart saw a lead change as NAPA Super DIRT Week XLVIII Chevy Performance 75 Champion Kyle Inman launched his No. 20K to the front. Unfortunately, a rash of flat tires brought out caution, including the leader Inman.

That left a three-way battle for the lead between Gil, Krentz and Bublak. The three traded positions throughout the final stages of the race. Krentz passed Gil with two laps to go but Gil reclaimed the lead and carried it to Victory Lane. — By Joe Grabianowski

VP Racing Fuels Sportsman Modified Feature (30 Laps) — 1. 60-Jackson Gill [8]; 2. 997-Robert Bublak [6]; 3. 56-Garrison Krentz [5]; 4. 42-Daryl Nutting [17]; 5. 25-Matt Janczuk [11]; 6. 92-Andrew Buff [14]; 7. 34-Kevin Root [23]; 8. 64-Tyler Corcoran [4]; 9. 631-Todd Buckwold [25]; 10. 52-Jessica Power [24]; 11. 18-Ryan MaCartney [19]; 12. 12G-Matthew Guererri [16]; 13. 410-Mike Fowler [21]; 14. 42M-Derrick McGrew [9]; 15. O8-Jack Speshock [12]; 16. 20-Corey Cormier [1]; 17. 7H-Nicole Hoag [2]; 18. 33-Richard Murtaugh [26]; 19. 20K-Kyle Inman [3]; 20. 48A-Chris Corbett [15]; 21. 2-Sam Jinkin [29]; 22. 60x-Kinser Hill [22]; 23. 8-Steve Lary [27]; 24. 11B-Don Blaney [28]; 25. 1-Robert Delormier [13]; 26. 17H-Alex Hoag [18]; 27. 22-Roddy Watts [20]; 28. 11T-Jeff Taylor [7]; 29. 20X-Kevin Ridley [10]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 34-Kevin Root[+16].

HOOSIER RACING TIRE PRO MODIFIEDS: Three drivers tried to dethrone Jeff Parsons from his lead during the Hoosier Racing Tire Pro Modifieds Feature at the DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship, but none could best the Union Grove, N.C. driver.

Parsons, in the No. 44 car, jumped to the lead at the start of the 20-lap Feature with Dylan Smith, in the No. 03 car, quickly moving his way from fourth to second, utilizing the high side of the track, while everyone else ran the bottom. Andrew Durham, in the No. 06, chased them both in third.

The three drivers raced nose to nose for the first half of the race before Durham spun trying to pass Smith for second and got hit by another car, ending his night. When the race restarted, Smith got a run around the outside of Parsons, but before he could complete the pass the caution came out.

When the race resumed, Billy Workman and Jeremy Steele threw their names in contention for the win by charging past Smith and targeting Parsons. Steele proved to be the faster of the two challengers, passing Workman and powering to Parsons’ rear bumper. Too close to his bumper. He hit Parsons and spun him, a move Steele said he did not mean to make. Luckily for Parsons the caution came out at the same time, allowing him to get his spot back.

That was all the luck Parsons needed as the then led the field to the end, picking up the $1,500-to-win prize at The Charlotte Dirt Track.

“We got lucky there at the end,” said Parsons of his home state win. “I think we got our tires a little hot and burned them up there at the end. I had to move around there at the end. But that was a good race… I race with the best guys around.” — By Nick Graziano

Hoosier Racing Tire Pro Modified Feature (20 laps) — 1. 44-Jeff Parsons; 2. 2-Jeremy Steele; 3. 97-Billy Workman, Jr; 4. OO-Preston Blalock; 5. 312-Greg Brown; 6. 2J-Jake Barnycastle; 7. O3-Dylan Smith; 8. 23S-Matthew Smith; 9. 15-Morgan Widener; 10. 14-Ethan Rogers; 11. T9-Zack Tate; 12. 45-Mark Robinson; 13. 52-Chris Stown; 14. 69-Harley Stanley; 15. 92M-Larry Martin; 16. 99L-Landen Lewis; 17. 22-Kris Callahan; 18. 12R-Ty Rhoades; 19. O6-Andrew Durham; 20. 22P-Kenny Peeples, Jr.; 21. 98-Hank Taylor; 22. 50-Justin Blevins; 23. 23-Buck Steven; 24. 25-Robert Poole; 25. 31G-Stephen Pedulla; 26. 42-Kevin Pangrazio; 27. 12U-Brandon Umberger.

RACERTENTS.COM PRO STOCKS: Luke Horning captured the RacerTents.com Pro Stock 30 lap Feature in his black No. 8. Horning jumped to the lead on the initial start, outrunning pole-sitter Rick Duzlak. Horning, from Gloversville, NY, took home $3,000 for his big win.

“We spent a lot of money to come down here so to get the win helps make it possible,” Horning said with a smile in Victory Lane.

Each lap Horning was looking for the head starter to count the laps down.

“Any time I see “Señor Silk” [starter Dave Farney] stretch over the track I get a little excited.”

The battle at the front was close all race. Horning had Pro Stock Sportsman of the Year award winner Jay Casey all over him for the lead.

“One time I jumped the cushion and thought Jay Casey was going to get me there, but we kept it going,” said Horning.

Horning competed in both The Dirt Track at Charlotte and NAPA Super DIRT Week this year.

“DIRTcar puts on a great show,” he said. — By Joe Grabianowski

RacerTents.com Pro Stock Feature (25 Laps) — 1. 2H-Luke Horning [2]; 2. 322-Jay Casey [5]; 3. 2-Peter Stefanski [10]; 4. 48-Jocelyn Roy [3]; 5. 93-Kenneth Martin [9]; 6. 51-Jason Meltz [6]; 7. 7-Rob Yetman [7]; 8. 8-Marc Lalonde [15]; 9. 4-Roch Aubin [12]; 10. 1X-Mike White [16]; 11. 28-Burton Ward [11]; 12. 715-Jason Morrison [19]; 13. 8C-Sean Corr [17]; 14. 29-Rick Duslak [1]; 15. 324-Jason Casey [13]; 16. 6C-Brian Carter [8]; 17. 21-David Depaulo [4]; 18. 23-Scott Towslee [18]; 19. 93JR-Sheldon Martin [14]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 2-Peter Stefanski[+7]

CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE 602 LATE MODELS: In one of the best side-by-side battles The Dirt Track saw all night, Greenwood, SC-driver Billy Rushton bested polesitter Mike Davidson for the lead early in the 20-lap contest for his first victory at Charlotte.

Davidson led the opening laps, but Rushton found the groove on the bottom and zoomed into the lead out of turn two on lap six after a multi-lap battle out front. Runner-up Chase McCormick followed suit and grabbed the runner-up spot out of turn four underneath Davidson.

Once Rushton got the lead, the rest of the field was toast, as the #22 pulled away from McCormick slightly in lapped traffic to seal the victory. One, he said, had been a long time coming with the amount of work he’s put into his operation.

“We’ve had some bad luck here in the past,” Rushton said in Victory Lane. “I’ve always wanted to win this race. I can’t forget all the people that helped me get here. It’s just me, my two crew guys that help me. We don’t have any big-time sponsors. We just try our best.” — By Jordan DeLucia

Chevy Performance 602 Late Model Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 22-Billy Rushton [2]; 2. 22B-Chase McCormick [3]; 3. 27-Mike Davidson [1]; 4. 11-David Smith [4]; 5. 75-Michael Brown [7]; 6. 16-Colby Cannon [5]; 7. P4-John Price [10]; 8. 12T-Rod Tucker [16]; 9. 4-Kyle Beck [17]; 10. 44-Rod Robert [12]; 11. 49-Jeremy Mayfield [21]; 12. 99-Shaun Thomas [19]; 13. 215-Jamison McBride [13]; 14. 12-Michael Smith [24]; 15. 78-Blake Pryor [23]; 16. 11G-Lee Gray [8]; 17. 6-Mark Wilbanks [26]; 18. 1-Monk Gulledge [18]; 19. 21-Mario Gresham [14]; 20. 149-Seth Speed [25]; 21. 14-Baron McDowell [20]; 22. 87-Lance Chitwood [9]; 23. 18-Austin Mintz [22]; 24. 54-Justin Mintz [15]; 25. OB-Blake Dill [6]; 26. 97-Cody Overton [11]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 49-Jeremy Mayfield[+10].

DRIVEN RACING OIL CRATE SPORTSMAN: The DRIVEN Racing Oil Crate Sportsman put on thrilling Heat races Friday night and continued their exciting racing to Saturday’s portion of the DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship.

The field spread out three-wide throughout the back of the field, while the leaders were at each other’s bumpers, hugging the bottom line. Leading that train was Mitchell Duvall, in the No. 5D car.

Duvall was fast Friday night, dominating his Heat race and continued that speed into Saturday’s 20-lap Feature. He jumped to the lead and never looked back, gapping second place Calob McLaughlin by about a straightaway before the halfway point of the race.

The race went caution free, allowing Duvall to catch lap traffic, however the slower obstacles had no effect on his speed. He cruised to the win and the $1,500 prize.

“That was great,” said Duvall, of Gaffney, S.C. “I couldn’t believe it. We hit the perfect set up. We picked the right combination. It was hooked. I couldn’t believe it.” — By Nick Graziano

DRIVEN Racing Oil Crate Sportsman Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 5D-Mitchell Duvall [2]; 2. O8-Calob McLaughlin [1]; 3. 9-Ronnie Mosley [4]; 4. 18C-Damon Crump [5]; 5. 718-Ben Watkins [3]; 6. 11L-Kade Langley [6]; 7. 96-Dalton Pannell [9]; 8. 76-Chris Rice [24]; 9. 12-Devon Morgan [7]; 10. 51-Lee Higdon [13]; 11. 78-Blake Pryor [21]; 12. 28-Nick Milstead [10]; 13. 18G-Ricky Greene [18]; 14. 92T-Tyler Love [22]; 15. 777-Dustin Taylor [12]; 16. S22-Shannon Adams [23]; 17. 18W-Bradley Weaver [14]; 18. 29-Bryan Harrelson [16]; 19. 70-Brandon Dockery [11]; 20. O1-Colton Dimsdale [25]; 21. 66D-Preston Dimsdale [17]; 22. 66-Danny Sexton [20]; 23. 14-Russell Williford [8]; 24. 30-Brit Dover [15]; 25. 53-Pebo Johnson [19]; 26. 10-Patrick Evatt [26].

COMP CAMS MINI STOCKS: Brayden Pruitt made history by becoming the first female driver to win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. The COMP CAMS Mini-Stock ace drove to a hard-fought victory at the famous speedway. With an impressive display of skill and prowess, Pruitt overtook front-runners Nicholas Broome and Travis Mosley to take the checkered flag.

Nothing quite compares to the excitement of Victory Lane at the DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship. Pruitt proudly held her little girl high above her head in celebration.

She tried to put her excitement and pride in her accomplishment into words.

“You don’t even know what this night means,” she said. “My daughter was four weeks old the first time she visited The Dirt Track at Charlotte. I just hope one day she’ll be sitting right where I am and she’ll know what it means.”

Nothing came easy in the race. Pruitt battled her away to the top and never made a wrong step once she was in the lead.

“It took a lot of patience out there,” she said. “On that last restart I got over my head. I was really driving it hard. Once I settled down and started rolling through the corners I looked up in my mirror and I started checking away. Trying to stay clam in a situation like that really tested me tonight.” — By Joe Grabianowski

COMP CAMS Mini Stock Feature (20 laps) — 1. 13p-Brayden Pruitt [4]; 2. 117-Matt Gilbert [5]; 3. O3-Damien Bryant [16]; 4. 97-Casey Towell [20]; 5. 8T-Rod Tucker [23]; 6. 30-Larry Housley [19]; 7. T2-Travis Sharpe [21]; 8. 8-Dustin Bolin [15]; 9. 10c-Carl Currin [18]; 10. 12-Jason Dickerson [26]; 11. B18-Aaron Weed [8]; 12. 12b-Pete Brew [7]; 13. 71-Dennis Kirk [24]; 14. OO-Cody Ussery [17]; 15. 96X-Tyler Riddle [14]; 16. 115A-Patrick Arch [13]; 17. 43-Sparks Parris [6]; 18. 2r-Johnny Raines [12]; 19. 208-Richard Kolb [25]; 20. 22C-Terry Caples [1]; 21. 10-Logan Pritchett [9]; 22. O7B-Nicholas Broome [2]; 23. X-Kevin Cooper [10]; 24. 97M-Jamie Mattison [11]; 25. O4w-Phillip Wilson [22]; 26. 19-Travis Mosley [3]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 8T-Rod Tucker[+18].

DIRTVision Hornets: Five Features. More than 70 DIRTVision Hornets between them. And five different Feature winner that produced edge-of-your-seat action.

Race fans at the DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Saturday night were treated to a plethora of intense racing between the win hungry Hornets.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION — The initial Feature of the night stopped everyone’s heart on the first lap with No. 94 of Justin Stephens getting airborne and barrel rolling several times in turn two. He climbed out of the car with the applause from the crowd and once his car was cleared from the track the action only increased.

Andrew Smith, in the No. 162, Eric Boozel, in the No. 265 and Jonathan Sarratt, in the No. 311, used up every inch of the 4/10-mile track, going three-wide in the opening laps. Boozel pulled to the lead with Sarratt close behind. A few laps latter Sarratt looked to take the lead but had an issue and pulled off track.

Then Smith found grip and charged his way by Boozel for the lead. The Pooler, Ga. driver was on his way to the victory before he and Boozel both had an issue that took Smith out of the race and caused Boozel to lose positions. Their misfortune gave Paul Clayton, who was lurking behind them, the lead and he took advantage of it by holding on to win.

“I would have never thought it,” an elated Clayton said about winning. “That’s some of the best there are out there. They’re good.”

DOMINATING FASHION — The second Feature of the night saw Eddie McGrew, in the No. 4M, dart to the lead from second at the start of the race and run away with the lead. Reid Christensen, in the No. 30, never let McGrew out of his sight but didn’t have the car to catch him.

A caution with three laps to go gave Christensen a final shot at McGrew. However, McGrew was still too strong. He picked up his second win in-a-row at Charlotte.

“I love it,” McGrew said. “Should have been three in-a-row. The first time we came here we broke on the white flag. Last year we come down we won. This year we come down and we won. I love this place.”

PATIENCE PAYS OFF — Tight racing for the lead returned in the third Feature of the night with leaders John Windham, in the No. 65 and Chase Webb, in the number 11$, fighting tooth and nail. Windham pulled away to the lead with Webb close behind.

On Lap 7, Webb got a run around the high side and looked to the outside of Windham, but the Lake City, Fla. driver closed the door before Webb could sneak alongside him.

Webb stayed on Windham’s tail, not letting him out of his sight. Waiting to build another run or for Windham to make a mistake. After the halfway point of the 15-lap Feature, Webb’s patience paid off. Windham had a motor issue and fell out of the race.

The race was now Webb’s to lose and Brad Cross, in the No. 20, tried to help him lose it. He kept the pressure on him in the final five laps, but Webb was able to hold the top spot and get the win.

“Man, we’ve come down here four years in-a-row and been the fastest qualifier every year,” said Webb of Shelby, N.C. “This is a special car. It’s really good. I kind of laid back and took my time.”

NEVER LIFT — The start of the fourth DIRTVision Hornets Feature saw Webb pick up where he left off by jumping to the lead.

However, a caution on the first lap hinder his jump he got on the field at the start. Then Webb overshot his entry into the first corner on the restart, jumped the cushion and handed the lead to Jonathan Sarratt, in the No. 311. Webb fell and eventually had to pull off track with an issue.

Sarratt took the lead and ran with it, putting distance between him and second-place David Laney, in the No. 12L. While Laney tried to catch Sarratt, he had to defend his position from Joey Kelly, in the No. 88K, who charged his way from 12th to third in the first five laps.

Laney and Kelly battled lap after lap for second with Sarratt pulling away with the win in front of them. However, the caution came out with three laps to go. Sarratt had a slow restart and Kelly was ready for it, darting by Laney and getting underneath Sarratt in turn one. Before their battle could continue much further the caution came out again. Kelly was eager to repeat his last restart.

When the race resumed, Sarratt had another slow restart, allowing Laney and Kelly to get underneath. The trio went three-wide through the first corner for the lead. Laney edged ahead to take the lead with Kelly in pursuit behind him and Sarratt fading behind.

With the white flag in the air Laney was in position to take the win. But then, without warning, Laney lost a front wheel and slid to the wall in turn two. Kelly hammered the throttle and powered to the lead and the win.

Kelly, of Salem, S.C. said he hated to see the misfortune of his fellow competitors, but knew he had a good car he could drive to the front. His secret:

“I held it wide open all the way to the end,” Kelly said.

ADD PICKLES — When the final DIRTVision Hornets Feature went green Payne Pickles, in the No. 05 car, wasted no time in his quest for the lead, charging from fourth to the top spot in one lap.

Eric Boozel, in the No. 265 car, didn’t let him get away, though. The McVeytown, Pa. driver ran Pickles down in the first four laps and looked to pass him before the red flag came out for a car flipping in turn three.

When the race resumed, Boozel continued his relentless pursuit of Pickles. The two drivers favored the high side of the 4/10-mile track, never moving off it. Pickles battled a lose car through turn two, allowing Boozel to close on him down the backstretch. However, Boozel could never get a good enough run to attempt a pass.

A caution for debris came out with two laps to go, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. It was no trouble for Pickles, though. He held of Boozel and picked up a satisfying victory.

“It feels pretty good,” said Pickles, of Live Oak, Fla., about his victory. “After a long weekend with work and seven-hour drive, it feels good.” — By Nick Graziano

DIRTVision Hornet Friday Feature #1 (15 laps) — 1. 911-Paul Clayton; 2. 2.O-Marc White; 3. O4-Daniel Moody; 4. 71-Justin Morgan; 5. 9C-Jay Tate; 6. 32B-Kris Bobo; 7. 389-Jonathan Gray; 8. 265-Eric Boozel; 9. 25J-Josh Whitfield; 10. 10-Kenny Long; 11. 27X-Joe Grant; 12. D2-Danny Tate; 13. 162-Andrew Smith; 14. 2C-Tyler Capps; 15. 95B-Jacob Bright; 16. 311-Jonathan Sarratt; 17. 64F-Travis Semple; 18. 2-Robert Cutshall; 19. 80-Dale Varner; 20. 94J-Robert Jette; 21. 94-Justin Stephens; 22. O-Bradley Griffey; DNS AOO-Andrew Rich; DNS 4J-Timothy Jennings.

DIRTVision Hornet Friday Feature #2 (15 laps) — 1. 4m-Eddie McGrew; 2. 88K-Joey Kelly; 3. 21X-Shannon Barnhill; 4. 30-Reid Christensen; 5. 64-Rusty Garlock; 6. 89-Matthew Taylor; 7. 1-Brandon Spangler; 8. 42S-Michael Selig; 9. F1-Travis Lankford; 10. 21-Bron Rutledge; 11. 64B-Mike Budka, Jr.; 12. 888-Chris Martin; 13. T2-Bradley Williams; 14. 4-Daniel Wright; 15. 15C-Kenneth Colf; 16. 12C-Chris Canterbury; 17. 26-Michael Grant; 18. 11-Lane Spangler; 19. 2D-Daniel Tate; 20. O5-Payne Pickles; 21. 13B-Brandon Collins; 22. 88-Ricky Hill; 23. O4-Daniel Moody; DNS 12X-Joe Selig.

DIRTVision Hornet Friday Feature #3 (15 laps) — 1. $11.00-Chase Webb; 2. 20-Brad Cross; 3. 15-Chris Anderson; 4. 12L-David Laney; 5. 42X-Dustin Cook; 6. 34-Dave Smoot; 7. 9T-Tyler McGhee; 8. 53-Jeff Jennings; 9. 28-Lindsey Jennings; 10. 18E-William Estep; 11. 13X-Travis Quesenberry; 12. 18-Kala Varner; 13. 71B-Chris Beacham; 14. 65-John Windham; 15. 35-Scott Cloninger; 16. 7-Marcus Locklear; 17. 912-John Williams; 18. OO-Anthony Varner; 19. 87-David Layton; 20. 221-Donavon Beacham; 21. 79-Brain Tate; 22. 912S-Zachary Slone; 23. 3b-Brad MCManus.

DIRTVision Hornet Saturday Feature #1 (15 laps) — 1. 88K-Joey Kelly; 2. 30-Reid Christensen; 3. 311-Jonathan Sarratt; 4. 21X-Shannon Barnhill; 5. 42S-Michael Selig; 6. 4-Daniel Wright; 7. 9C-Jay Tate; 8. OO-Anthony Varner; 9. 42X-Dustin Cook; 10. 27X-Joe Grant; 11. 18E-William Estep; 12. D2-Danny Tate; 13. 12L-David Laney; 14. 1-Brandon Spangler; 15. 912S-Zachary Slone; 16. 15-Chris Anderson; 17. 25J-Josh Whitfield; 18. $11.00-Chase Webb; 19. 389-Jonathan Gray; 20. 2D-Daniel Tate; 21. 9T-Tyler McGhee; 22. 28-Lindsey Jennings; 23. 71B-Chris Beacham; 24. 94J-Robert Jette; DNS 162-Andrew Smith; DNS 35-Scott Cloninger; DNS 912-John Williams; DNS 94-Justin Stephens; DNS 3b-Brad MCManus; DNS AOO-Andrew Rich; DNS 64F-Travis Semple; DNS 64-Rusty Garlock; DNS 18-Kala Varner; DNS 18A-Roland Hinson; DNS 10-Kenny Long; DQ 32B-Kris Bobo.

DIRTVision Hornet Saturday Feature #2 (15 laps) — 1. O5-Payne Pickles; 2. 265-Eric Boozel; 3. 4m-Eddie McGrew; 4. 2.O-Marc White; 5. 20-Brad Cross; 6. 2C-Tyler Capps; 7. 88-Ricky Hill; 8. 221-Donavon Beacham; 9. T2-Bradley Williams; 10. 71-Justin Morgan; 11. 89-Matthew Taylor; 12. F1-Travis Lankford; 13. 80-Dale Varner; 14. 2-Robert Cutshall; 15. 21-Bron Rutledge; 16. 212-Tanner Coggins; 17. 34-Dave Smoot; 18. 87-David Layton; 19. 53-Jeff Jennings; 20. 15C-Kenneth Colf; 21. 12C-Chris Canterbury; 22. 888-Chris Martin; 23. O-Bradley Griffey; 24. O4-Daniel Moody; 25. 911-Paul Clayton; 26. 7-Marcus Locklear; 27. 65-John Windham; 28. 64B-Mike Budka, Jr.; 29. 13B-Brandon Collins; 30. 4J-Timothy Jennings.

ALL STAR INVITATIONALS: Four 15-lap All Star Invitationals capped off the night:

Kevin Ridley, who had a heavy crash in the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified 30-lap Feature, stuck his No. 20X out front and never looked back. Ridley had to outrun a pair of excellent drivers in Kevin Root and Jessica Power. DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Champion Root also redeemed himself with a second place after finishing mid-pack early in the evening.
DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Invitational — 1. 20X-Kevin Ridley; 2. 34-Kevin Root; 3. 42M-Derrick McGrew; 4. 52-Jessica Power; 5. 60-Jackson Gill; 6. 20K-Kyle Inman; 7. 56-Garrison Krentz; 8. 33-Richard Murtaugh; 9. 12G-Matthew Guererri; 10. 11T-Jeff Taylor; 11. 7H-Nicole Hoag; 12. 92-Andrew Buff; 13. 64-Tyler Corcoran; 14. 25-Matt Janczuk; 15. 42-Daryl Nutting; 16. O8-Jack Speshock; 17. 48A-Chris Corbett; 18. 18-Ryan MaCartney; 19. 22-Roddy Watts; 20. 20-Corey Cormier.

A young driver named Scott Towslee wrecked hard in the 25-lap Feature earlier in the night. His team thrashed on the car to get it ready in time for the 15-lap RacerTents.com DIRTcar Pro Stock Invitational. It was a good thing he did because Towslee drove it to the front and won his first DIRTcar Pro Stock Series race. It was a hard-fought win as he was forced to fend off the Casey family behind him. Jay Casey, the 2019 DIRTcar Pro Stock Sportsman of the Year, settled for second with Jason Casey just behind.
DIRTcar Pro Stock Invitational — 1. 23-Scott Towslee; 2. 322-Jay Casey; 3. 324-Jason Casey; 4. 29-Rick Duslak; 5. 8-Marc Lalonde; 6. 93JR-Robert Bublack; 7. 6C-Brian Carter; 8. 21-David Depaulo; 9. 4-Roch Aubin; 10. 48-Jocelyn Roy; 11. 2-Peter Stefanski; 12. 1X-Mike White; 13. 28-Burton Ward; 14. 715-Jason Morrison; 15. 2H-Luke Horning; DNS 8C-Sean Corr; DNS 7-Rob Yetman; DNS 93-Kenneth Martin Jr.; DNS 51-Jason Meltz.

In the Pro Late Models, Matt Long charged out to the lead and held on to win.
DIRTcar/SECA Pro Late Model Invitational — 1. 55-Matt Long; 2. T1-Timbo Mangum; 3. O8-Layton Sullivan; 4. 27H-Justin Hudspeth; 5. 78-Hank Taylor; 6. 32-Michael Brown; 7. 89-Timmie Harrelson; 8. 75-Brett Hamm; 9. OOJR-Rich Kuiken Jr.; 10. 23B-Billy Green; 11. 4-Jason Knowles; 12. 16-Daniel Allen; 13. 17J-Jeff Johnson; 14. 2-Ronald Geehring; 15. 23G-Corey Gordon; DNS 67-Bryan Mullis; DNS 6J-Jacob Brown; DNS 6B-Dillon Brown; DNS 88-Trent Ivey; DNS-17-Logan Roberson.

Kyle Strickler and Nick Hoffman reversed their finishing positions from the UMP Modified Feature, with Strickler earning the win in the Invitational over Hoffman.
DIRTcar UMP Modified Invitational — 1. 8-Kyle Strickler; 2. 2-Nick Hoffman; 3. 35-David Stremme; 4. 7T-Christian Thomas; 5. 71D-Dan Davis; 6. 25-Michael Corbin; 7. 97-Billy Workman, Jr.; 8. 8a-Austin Holcombe; 9. 43-Joshua Harris; 10. 84-Ryan Toole; 11. 55r-Alyssa Rowe; 12. 95J-Justin Cullum; 13. 45-Will Long; 14. 1-Jake Gibbons; 15. K19-Will Krup; 16. 17c-Coleman Evans; 17. 11-Troy Loomis; 18. 7D-Drake Troutman; DNS 96-Slade Parsons; DNS 21-Taylor Cook.

SPECIAL AWARDS: An event as big as the DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship wouldn’t be possible without the help of its great sponsors. The DIRTcar Racing staff handed out a few prize packages courtesy of the division sponsors at Saturday’s drivers meeting, in addition to the “Longest Tow” awards and a raffle for a brand-new new engine:

The DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship 2019 “Sportsman of the Year” Awards:

DRIVEN Racing Oil Crate Sportsman: Devon Morgan – Greenville, SC
COMP Cams Monster Mini Stocks: Dennis Kirk – Concord, NC
Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modifieds: Coleman Evans – Mineral Wells, WV
DIRTVision Front-Wheel Drives/Hornets: Reid Christensen
FOX Racing SHOX DIRTcar/SECA Pro Late Models: Ron Geehring III – Monroe, NC
Chevy Performance 602 Thunder Late Models: Mark Wilbanks – Lula, GA
Hoosier Racing Tire Pro Modifieds: Kevin Pangrazio – Davidson, NC
VP Racing Fuels DIRTcar Northeast Sportsman Modifieds: Mike Fowler – Fulton, NY
RacerTents.com DIRTcar Northeast Pro Stocks: Jay Casey – Canaan, CT

The Longest Tow Awards:

Longest Tow (North): Jocelyn Roy – St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada
Longest Tow (South): Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL
Longest Tow (West): Kevin Weaver – Gibson City, IL

The Chevrolet Performance 602 Crate Engine drawing winner was Rod Roberts of Jefferson, GA.

LOOKING AHEAD: It’s never too early to start planning for the Fifth Annual DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship, which will be Oct. 29-30-31, 2020.