Dirt on Dirt - RaceWire

July 24

Boyd's Speedway,

Ringgold, GA

Sanction: Schaeffer's Southern Nationals - $3,500

Information provided by: Robert Holman (last updated July 25, 1:48 pm)

Hill holds off McDowell, grabs $3,500 at Boyd's

Vic Hill
Dale McDowell
Randy Weaver
John Ownbey
Donald McIntosh
David Payne
Cory Hedgecock
Casey Roberts
J.T. Seawright
Aaron Ridley
Joey Coulter
David Doherty
Cla Knight
Kenny Collins
Casey Turman
Tyler Millwood
Forrest Trent
Clay Harris
Craig Greer
Bobby Giffin
Jadon Frame
Brandon Overton

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Vic Hill heads to a $3,500 victory at Boyd's Speedway.

What won the race: Holding off a last-lap charge from Dale McDowell, polesitter Vic Hill of Mosheim, Tenn., completed a flag-to-flag victory in the Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals Series race at Boyd’s Speedway on Tuesday. Hill first turned back Randy Weaver and then McDowell over the final 12 laps of the 35-lap main event before beating McDowell, of Chickamauga, Ga., to the finish by six-hundredths of a second.

Key notes: Boyd’s Speedway hosted the seventh round of the Schaeffer’s Southern Southern Nationals Series, the fifth visit in series history. ... Hill joins Brandon Overton (’17), David Payne (’16), Casey Roberts (’15) and Randy Weaver (’14) as former series winners at Boyd's. ... Jason Welshan of Maryville, Tenn., topped Clay Harris of Jupiter, Fla., to win the Crate Late Model feature.

On the move: Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., finished fifth after starting 14th.

Winner's sponsors: Hill's Longhorn Chassis has a Vic Hill Racing Engine and is sponsored by the Orthopaedic Institute, Preferred Sandblasting & Painting, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, hilot Travel Centers, Maxima Racing Oils, Fastlane Graphics, American Racing Tire and Landair Transport.

Points chase: After Boyd’s: 1. Casey Roberts (1,324); 2. Dale McDowell (1,320); 3. Brandon Overton (1,280); 4. Donald McIntosh (1,276); 5. Aaron Ridley (1,274); 6. Joey Coulter (1,240); 7. Forrest Trent (1,220); 8. Cla Knight (1,206); 9. Shanon Buckingham (1,046); 10. Robby Moses (1,034).

Car count: 28

Fast qualifier: Randy Weaver

Time: 14.098 seconds

Polesitter: Vic Hill

Consolation race winners: J.T. Seawright, Casey Roberts, ,

Provisional starters: Craig Greer, Casey Turman, ,

Next series race: July 26, Crossville Speedway (Crossville, TN) $3,500

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

By Robert Holman

DirtonDirt.com weekend editor

RINGGOLD, Ga. — Holding off a last-lap charge from Dale McDowell, polesitter Vic Hill of Mosheim, Tenn., completed a flag-to-flag victory in the Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals Series race at Boyd’s Speedway on Tuesday. Over the final 12 laps of the 35-lap main event, Hill first turned back Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., before denying McDowell’s furious bid for the lead as they raced toward the checkered flag.

Hill, who collected $3,500 for his seventh career Southern Nationals victory, nipped McDowell by just six-hundredths of a second — about half a car length.

“It’s just phenomenal to get to race as little as we’ve been racing to get a win. I think this makes about six (races this season),” said Hill. “The pressure I’ve taken off of me, just (not) running for points or running for this and that … I’ve tried to make it just more enjoyable. You know I’ve helped my guys with engines or help my guys with cars, it just makes this a hell of a lot more fun.”

Weaver — making just his third Late Model start since early 2016 when he suffered a concussion in an accident during a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City — finished third after starting from outside the front row. Eighth-starting John Ownbey of Cleveland, Tenn., finished fourth and Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., charged forward from 14th to complete the top five.

Hill took command on the opening lap and built a half straightaway advantage over second-running Jadon Frame of Winchester, Tenn., by lap 10. Frame, who grabbed the second spot from Weaver on a lap-two restart, spun out of contention however on lap 13 when he made contact with the lapped car of Craig Greer. That put Weaver back behind Hill.

McDowell, with a steady run in the top five throughout the first half of the race, began to pick up the pace with 15 laps remaining. With seven to go, he’d caught the two front runners to make it a three-way battle for the lead. He slid in front of Weaver on lap 31 and quickly caught Hill.

But Hill, working high and low as he turned back challenges from both Weaver and McDowell, had just enough to close hang on.

“I was concentrating so hard,” said Hill. “I was a little softer on right rear tire I think than they were and like I was telling (series promoter) Ray (Cook), either this tire was giving up a little bit or the driver was messing up or giving up a little bit. I’m not really sure.

“I heard somebody on me and I kinda moved around and thought, man, I just wasn’t as good on the top up there … didn’t get a rhythm. And the last lap … I run up and probably took his lane. Then we come in here side by side and I come off (turn four) and got that little bit of grip there and we got together a little bit and it was great. A few more laps and I might not have been standing here, it might’ve been Dale.”

McDowell seemed to have as much fun as Hill did. He recorded his best series finish since winning the season-opener at Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Va., on July 14th and bounced back from a disappointing 22nd-place finished at Rome (Ga.) Speedway on Sunday.

“That’s the same car we had at Rome and had some problems with it. So the boys went back and worked on it, so it’s better,” McDowell said. “We still needed a little bit, but it was a good race. That’s fun racing. He left me a lane, one lane. We was rubbing there coming across for the finish, but I’d done him the same way. That’s just good hard racing. I just needed maybe another lap or so, or who knows, I may have crashed in another lap. It was a lot of fun.

“It’s the most fun in the world to race like that. When you get run over, it’s no fun. I don’t have no problem racing right there wheel to wheel, rubbing a little bit. You’re gonna rub a little bit. He wasn’t supposed to leave me all the race track. He did what you’re supposed to so. If I was there, I’d do the same thing and he’d be the same way with me.”

Notes: Vic Hill has never won two series races in the same season, but with the series returning Saturday to Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway where he won in 2011 and ’15, this could be his best chance. Hill’s other series wins came at Wythe (’09, ’12, ’17) and Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., in 2013. … Despite getting passed by the low-running Jadon Frame on a lap-two restart, Randy Weaver opted for the outside groove for the restart following the race’s second and final caution. “I kept choosing that top (on restarts) because I was setup to do that deal. I just couldn’t get in that bottom like they could,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. I thought I was gonna get (Hill) there for a little bit.” … Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., brought out the first caution when he slowed on lap two with a broken oil pump belt on his Billy Franklin-owned XR1 Rocket Chassis. “More bad luck,” exclaimed Overton, who had climbed to within 20 points of series leader Casey Roberts before Tuesday’s race. … Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., recorded his first top-five finish on this year’s Southern Nationals tour. His previous best was sixth place, twice. … After missing their first series event of the season, Tennesseans Shanon Buckingham and Robby Moses and Aussie Craig Vosbergen are expected to be back on tour Thursday at Crossville (Tenn.) Raceway.

Preliminary notes and results:

Feature lineup

Row 1: Vic Hill, Randy Weaver
Row 2: Jadon Frame, Dale McDowell
Row 3: David Payne, Brandon Overton
Row 4: David Doherty, John Ownbey
Row 5: Kenny Collins, Clay Harris
Row 6: J.T. Seawright, Casey Roberts
Row 7: Cla Knight, Donald McIntosh
Row 8: Joey Coulter, Cory Hedgecock
Row 9: Bobby Giffin, Tyler Millwood
Row 10: Aaron Ridley, Forrest Trent
Row 11: Craig Greer, Casey Turman

Second consolation

Tyler Millwood grabbed the lead in turn one, but it was series points leader Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga., who wrestled the lead away before the reached the flagstand to complete the fist lap and go on to win the second consolation race. Third-starting Donald McIntosh, passed Millwood for the runner-up spot and Cory Hedgecock slipped by Millwood for third. Millwood held on to finish fourth, while Forrest Trent completed the top five in the caution-free 10-lapper.

Finish (top five transfer): Casey Roberts, Donald McIntosh, Cory Hedgecock, Tyler Millwood, Forrest Trent, Tod Hernandez, Jason Melton, Craig Greer, David Doss.

First consolation

Getting the jump on fellow front row starter Aaron Ridley on the first lap, J.T. Seawright of Ft. Payne, Ala., led all 10 laps to win the first consolation. Ridley pressured Seawright midway through the race, but as he moved to the outside of the leader coming down the front stretch on lap five, he suddenly lost power and coasted to a stop in turn one. Cla Knight finished second, with Joey Coulter third, Bobby Giffen finished fourth and Ridley rallied back to get the last transfer spot.

Finish (top five transfer): J.T. Seawright, Cla Knight, Joey Coulter, Bobby Giffin, Aaron Ridley, Casey Turman, Scott Groves. Scratched: Dan Tipton, Lamar Scoggins.

Consolation lineups

(10 laps; top five transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: J.T. Seawright, Aaron Ridley
Row 2: Bobby Giffin, Cla Knight
Row 3: Casey Turman, Joey Coulter
Row 4: Casey Turman, Dan Tipton
Row 5: Lamar Scoggins
Second consolation
Row 1: Tyler Millwood, Casey Roberts
Row 2: Donald McIntosh, Cory Hedgecock
Row 3: Forrest Trent, Jason Melton
Row 4: Tod Hernandez, David Doss
Row 5: Craig Greer

Pre-race notes

After the afternoon’s dark skies finally cleared, Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals teams worked through a sweltering afternoon in north Georgia — actually the pit area in Tennessee — in preparation for the tour’s seventh round, which has drew 28 cars. … The tour’s perfect attendance list continues to dwindle. The series lost three drivers following Sunday’s race at Rome (Ga.) Speedway and there are now eight who still have perfect attendance. … Craig Vosbergen of Perth W. Australia, who finished second at Boyd’s last season, hoped to have his car back from Longhorn Chassis in North Carolina where they were making repairs to his frame, but he didn’t make it. … Shanon Buckingham of Morristown, Tenn., took his heavily damaged machine back to East Tennessee for repairs. Buckingham was involved in the late crash at Rome that took leader Michael Page from contention. … Buckingham’s teammate Robby Moses didn’t make the trip to Boyd’s either. … Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., is making his second series start of the season and third overall Late Model start. … Veteran crew chief Brad Carvin is at Boyd’s helping Casey Turman of Lafayette, Ga. … Lamar Scoggins of Cleveland, Tenn., had engine trouble in practice and scratched from qualifying. … Joey Coulter of Concord, N.C., was not at the gate in time to qualify with the first group as scheduled. As a result, he was given just a single lap at the end of the Super Late Model qualifying. … Clay Harris of Jupiter, Fla., found the Boyd’s Speedway surface to his liking as he qualified fifth in the second group utilizing a 525 Chevy Crate engine, good enough to get locked into the main event.

Qualifying

Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., making just his third Late Model start this season, was the fastest among the 28 drivers at Boyd’s with a quick time of 14.098 seconds. Weaver sat out most of the 2016 season and all of ’17 after suffering a concussion in an accident during a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event April 2, 2016 at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City. Looking like the Weaver of old, his quick time earned him the outside front starting position for tonight’s 35-lap main event because he was in group B. Group A fast qualifier Vic Hill of Mosheim, Tenn., with a lap of 14.140 seconds will start the feature from the pole.

Pre-race setup

The seventh round of the Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals moves to the far northwest corner of Georgia, where Boyd’s Speedway, a 1/3-mile semi-banked oval, is nestled just to the south of neighboring Chattanooga, Tenn. The track is unique in that the majority of the pit area is in the Volunteer State. Most drivers will only be in Georgia when they are surveying the track or on the track racing.

Just past the tour’s halfway mark, the points race is a three-man race. Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga., has surged into the points leads on the throes of five top-five finishes in the first six events, including a fourth-place finish at Rome (Ga.) Speedway on Sunday. With three series wins this season, Brandon Overton, of Evans, Ga., is tied with Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., for second in the series standings.

Tuesday’s Super Late Model program includes hot laps, time trials, heat races and a 35-lap main event. Entries will be split into two groups for time trials, with the top five qualifiers from each group locked into the main event. Heat races will then determine the remainder of the starting field and two series provisionals, if needed, will be added to the tail of the field to get the 22-car starting lineup.

Time trials (unofficial)

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time
Vic Hill (1), Mosheim, Tenn., 14.140
Jadon Frame (8), Winchester, Tenn., 14.150
David Payne (8), Murphy, N.C., 14.303
David Doherty (25), Sydney, Australia, 14.355
Kenny Collins (1c), Colbert, Ga., 14.413
J.T. Seawright (1J), Fort Payne, Ala., 14.444
Aaron Ridley (81), Chatsworth, Ga., 14.446
Bobby Giffin (97), Maryville, Tenn., 14.475
Cla Knight (42), North Augusta, S.C., 14.515
Casey Turman (18), Lafayette, Ga., 14.601
Joey Coulter (2), Concord, N.C., 15.068
Scott Groves (311), Canton, Ga., 15.233
Dan Tipton (12), Kingston, Tenn., no time
Lamar Scoggins (32), Cleveland, Tenn., no time
Group B
Randy Weaver (116), Crossville, Tenn., 14.098
Dale McDowell (17m), Chickamauga, Ga., 14.178
Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 14.200
John Ownbey (J0), Cleveland, Tenn., 14.205
Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., 14.236
Tyler Millwood (31), Kingston, Ga., 14.308
Casey Roberts (101), Toccoa, Ga., 14.318
Donald McIntosh (58), Dawsonville, Ga., 14.412
Cory Hedgecock (9), Loudon, Tenn., 14.451
Forrest Trent (101), Morristown, Tenn., 14.549
Jason Melton (95), East Ridge, Tenn., 14.895
Tod Hernandez (T6), Chattanooga, Tenn., 15.215
David Doss (87), Cleveland, Tenn., 15.279
Craig Greer (7G), Cleveland, Tenn., 15.510

Tuesday’s schedule

4 p.m. - Pit gates open
5 p.m. - Grandstand gatea open
6:30 p.m. - Draw closes/driver’s meeting
7 p.m. - Hot laps/qualifying
- Crate Late Model
- Sportsman Late Model
- Super Late Model
- Street stock
Opening ceremonies
- Crate Late Model time trials (two laps)
- Super Late Model time trials (two laps)
- Street stock heats (eight laps)
- Crate Late Model heats (10 laps)
- Super Late Model consolation (10 laps)
- Sportsman Late Model heats (10 laps)
Main events
- Crate Late Model (25)
- Super Late Model (35 laps)
- Sportsman Late Model (25 laps)
- Street stock (15 laps)