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William Haynie Dominates to Win Charger Race
By Hunter Thomas
The local racing community celebrated Easter at Dillon Motor Speedway this past weekend as seven classes took to the track.
Before the green flag flew, the kids were treated to an Easter Egg hunt as well as an appearance from the Easter Bunny. Out of seven races, there was only one caution. There were also some surprise winners on the hot night in Dillon County.
The Mini Cup cars were the first to hit the track. For the first 10 laps, Matt Corbett and Larry Boyle battled for the lead. In every turn, Boyle was right on the back bumper of Corbett’s car. Unfortunately, Corbett had to retire from the race due to a mechanical issue. The only caution during the entire night came on lap 10 when Brandon Bass nailed the turn four wall. Bass walked away unscathed.
On the restart, John Sofield Jr. jumped to the outside and passed Brian Owens for the lead. Sofield Jr. never looked back as he captured his second win of the year. Owens was the runner-up, and Steve Brewer rounded out the top three. Chris Wright and Larry Boyle finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The Street Stock race followed as soon as the Mini Cup race concluded. Hayes Goodson and Randy Hall fought for the lead all night long. Eventually, Hayes Goodson was able to pull away and win his first race of the year. Randy Hall finished second and Neal Anderson finished third.
The Four Cylinder race had the fans on their feet as the top five cars were nose to tail for the 25 lap race. Randy Frezze led all of the 25 laps in a dominating performance as he won the $400 purse. Michael Tucker and Kevin Jackson really put on a show as they fought for the second position. Jackson was sideways coming out of every corner as he tried to take over the position. However, Tucker held on and finished second while Jackson had to settle for third. Mike Stafford finished fourth, and Brian Owens rounded out the top five.
The Chargers were the next series to take to the track. Darlington local, William Haynie dominated the 25 lap feature as he captured his first win of the year. Larry Moore and Jimmy Naylor traded paint throughout the night as they fought for the second position. Moore just barely held on to finish second over Naylor. Mike Watts finished fourth, and Bobby June finished fifth.
The Super Truck feature was fantastic as 16 trucks battled it out for 50 grueling laps. Amazingly, the caution was never thrown as all of the drivers respected each other. As soon as the green flag flew, teammates Marty Griggs and Jody Measamer really fought each other hard for the seventh position. On lap 16, Anthony Adams got by Measamer and forced his way by the bright red truck of Marty Griggs. Hal Goodson’s truck was a little off as he struggled all night. Goodson brought the truck home in the sixth position. That is very uncharacteristic of last year’s champion.
Jimmy Herrington dominated the race as he led all 50 laps. This was Herrington’s second win in a row. Kevin Parsons finished second, but not until after a 22 lap battle with Joe Heigl. Bryan Blackwell finished fourth and Archie Adams finished fifth.
The Walls Roofing UCAR Series followed the Super Truck race. The front wheel drive cars screeched around every corner as the drivers held on to keep the cars straight. Bill Pearce led all of the 25 laps, but not until runner-up finisher, Dewayne Walker gave him a run for his money. Both drivers shook hands in Victory Lane as they congratulated each other. Chad Wall came in third, TJ Rogers finished fourth, and Jessie Hatcher finished fifth.
The last series to hit the track were the Rolling Thunder Modifieds. Wayne Edwards and Chris Brown put on quite a show as they battled for the lead. Brown was diving into the corners trying to get a bumper to Edwards, but he came up just a little short. Edwards won in great fashion as he smoked the tires for the fans. Jeff Woods rounded out the top three, Archie Adams finished fourth, and Vance Hall finished fifth.
Come join us on April 30 for the Carolina International Trucks 250. This race will mark the first time in track history that live pit stops will take place as the USAR Pro Cup Series invades Dillon. The local Late Model drivers will race as well as the Midgets and our locals.
Gates open at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 30. Practice begins at 12:00 p.m. and qualifying starts at 4:30 p.m. Ride along sessions as well as autograph session will follow qualifying. The green flag will wave at 7:30 p.m.
