What won the race: Taking control from Cody Overton on a lap-12 restart, seventh-starting Michael Brown of Pageland, S.C., led the rest of Thursday's 30-lap XR 604 Crate Nationals opener at All-Tech Raceway. Brown raced to the $5,000 payday 7.404 seconds ahead of Ross Bailes for his first victory of the season and his first win of any kind since Aug. 5, 2023, at Sumter (S.C.) Speedway.

Quotable: “The car was excellent. I gotta thank Wesley Page, Zach Smith and Andrew Page for workin’ their butt off on this thing and thanks to Carson (Ferguson) for lettin' me drive it,” Brown said. “It was a great night and hopefully we can do this again Saturday ... as long as I keep it right here (in victory lane). It was phenomenal tonight, I could do whatever I needed to do with it. We maximized our night, hopefully this puts us pretty good in points.”

Key notes: Brown won in the No. 75 Longhorn originally scheduled to be piloted by Carson Ferguson before he fell ill. ... The eighth-starting Bailes, of Clover, S.C., grabbed second from Cody Overton on the final lap. ... The younger Overton, of Evans, Ga., led laps 3-11 before slipping to third. ... Corey Neil Jr. led the opening two laps from the pole before fading to sixth. ... Kyle Bronson improved 14 spots and placed seventh after winning the night's 20-lap B-main. ... Cory Hedgecock ran as high as fourth on the lap-12 restart before sliding to eighth. ... Brandon Overton climbed to third on the lap-12 restart before fading to round out the top 10. ... Jose Parga started 29th and finished 17th after winning the night's 15-lap C-main and transferring through the consolation. ... Jason Garver, Wednesday's fast qualifier, finished 21st after starting shotgun on the field. ... John Price slowed from eighth to draw the race's third and final caution on lap 12. ... The first slowdown came on lap two after Tyler Millwood was spun by Ricky Culpepper as they battled for fifth, with Milwood clipping Kyle Van Sickle as he drove by. Milwood and Van Sickle did not continue. ... Trent Ivey pulled off under the yellow. ... Culpepper continued until retiring on lap 16. ... The 30-lap opener lasted 26 minutes, with 23 starters running at the checkers. ... Nevin Gainey scratched. ... Jeremy Steele and Chase Holland (both with apparent rear suspension failure) were among Friday's non-qualifiers. ... The 604 Crate Nationals continues with another 30-lap, $5,000-to-win prelim for Friday's second group of competitors. Points are awarded nightly with the top-20 earners clinching spots in Saturday's 60-lap, $100,000-to-win finale.

On the move: Cole Exum of Valdosta, Ga., started 19th and finished fourth.

Winner's sponsors: Brown’s John Page Racing Longhorn by Wesley Page is powered by a Hendren Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Donald and Gena Bradsher’s Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Coltman Farms Racing, Langley Collision, WP Racing Shocks, Allstar Performance, Indocil Art, Bilstein and The Real Wrappers.

Points chase: XR 604 Nationals after Thursday: 1. Ross Bailes (1,005); 2. Michael Brown (995.5); 3. Kyle Bronson (994.5); T4. Cody Overton (991); T4. Corey Neil Jr. (991); 6. Cole Exum (990.5); 7. Bubba Roling (986.5); 8. Trey Mills (977.5); 9. Ricky Weiss (975); 10. Cory Hedgecock (974).

Current weather: Clear, 41°F

Car count: 101

Fast qualifier: Jason Garver

Time: 19.070 seconds

Polesitter: Corey Neil Jr.

Heat race winners: Corey Neil Jr., John Ruggiero Jr., Cody Overton, Ricky Culpepper, Tyler Millwood, Michael Brown

Consolation race winners: Jose Parga, Kyle Bronson

Next series race: Dec. 13, All-Tech Raceway, second prelim ($5,000)