Ross Bailes heads for a $10,000 victory at Cherokee Speedway.
What won the race: Taking command after race-long pacesetter Zack Mitchell was felled by a flat tire with seven circuits remaining, Ross Bailes of Clover, S.C., marched on to capture Thursday's XR Workin' Man Series Throwback 50 at Cherokee Speedway. He beat Trent Ivey to the finish line for the $10,000 winner's check.
Quotable: "I really screwed us up there at the beginning," Bailes said. "I bet Billy (Hicks) was ready to fire me. I went through one and two really good up there on the top and then I went down here (in three and four) and got a little too high and it was still really wet from where they watered it. We had some luck on our side (to end up in the lead) but this car was really good."
Key notes: Bailes's first-ever victory with the fledgling XR Workin' Man Series snapped a personal winless streak of over three months; his only previous triumph this season came Feb. 4 in a Southern All Star event at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. ... Mitchell returned to the track after pitting for a new tire and salvaged a seventh-place finish. ... Carson Ferguson finished fourth in his first start driving NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Jeremy Bullins's Longhorn car. ... The red flag was displayed on lap 39 after Chris Chandler came off the backstretch and was slammed hard by John Price, whose car was left with its right side heavily damaged. Neither driver was injured. ... The race was also marred by a wild, multi-car homestretch accident on the ensuing restart that necessitated another red flag. Dalton Cook was turned in the middle of the track and was hit by several cars while Cla Knight rolled over once on the inside of the track. No injuries were reported. ... NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain made his Super Late Model debut but failed to qualify. ... The event was the fourth of the season for the XR Workin' Man Series.
On the move: Jeff Smith of Dallas, N.C., started 12th and finished third; Michael Brown of Pageland, S.C., started 14th and finished fifth.
Winner's sponsors: Bailes drove a Billy Hicks-owned Double Nickel Race Car powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by H&H Auto Sales, Ultimate Towing & Recovery, Wakefield Logging, Felony Farms, Bailes Construction, Hoosier Tire South, Fred Caldwell Chevrolet and Bilstein Shocks.
Points chase: Before Cherokee: 1. Kyle Bronson (172); 2. Ricky Weiss (169); 3. Tyler Erb (153); 4. Jacob Hawkins (136); 5. Brian Shirley (136).
Current weather: Overcast, 68°F
Car count: 33
Fast qualifier: Zack Mitchell
Time: 15.388 seconds
Polesitter: Zack Mitchell
Heat race winners: Benji Hicks, Cla Knight, Zack Mitchell, Kyle Strickler, , , ,
Consolation race winners: Brett Hamm, , ,
Next series race: June 21, Belleville High Banks (Belleville, KS) $10,000