CHATHAM, La. (Sept. 25) — In a script tailor-made for TV, Late Model racer turned YouTube sensation Joseph Joiner of Milton, Fla., led the final 65 laps of Saturday’s Super Bee 100 at Super Bee Speedway to earn a career-high $50,001 victory in the unsanctioned Crate Late Model event.

Joiner, whose family’s YouTube channel Hunt the Front has helped shoot him to internet fame while also boosting his racing career, overtook polesitter and race-long leader Carson Ferguson of Lincolnton, N.C., on lap 35 of the marathon 100-lap race and turned back second-half challenges from Matt Henderson of Loudon, Tenn., and Cade Dillard of Robeline, La., on his way to edging out Dillard by 0.752 seconds. Eighth-starting B.J. Robinson of Bossier City, La., finished third, while both Henderson and Ferguson faded out of podium spots in the closing laps.

Starting outside the front row, Joiner followed Ferguson through the race’s early portions with both drivers running low around the paper-clipped quarter-mile track. Following a lap-21 restart, Joiner found the high line around turns three and four and used it to pass Ferguson just after the next restart 10 laps later.

Fifth-starting Henderson took second from Ferguson just after halfway and chased Joiner until Dillard took the spot on the race’s final restart with 81 laps complete. Dillard kept pace with Joiner through the race’s closing laps but couldn’t quite get close enough to make a bid for the lead.

“I knew once we found that groove if someone was gonna pass us they was gonna have to run through us because it was kind of getting latched up there just a little bit and kind of cleaning up,” Joiner said of his line around the bottom of turns one and two and around the top of three and four. “That was what I wanted to see for sure because I knew as long as I didn’t do anything stupid and I got the car turned and didn’t hit a tire down there in the infield, I figured it would be pretty tough for somebody to get around us at that point.

“I was just making sure I hit my marks and making sure every lap I did,” added Joiner, who adjusted his line to the middle of turns three and four in the closing laps after signals from crew chief Jesse Enterkin. “Jesse was back there on the back straightaway signaling me if I needed to move around and he made a good call for me to move down in three and four about last 10 or 15 laps. Oh man, I’m gonna have a hard time believing this.”

Joiner survived a few close calls with lapped cars including one car slowing directly in front of him to cause a lap-37 caution and another spinning in front of him on lap 53, but his only significant contact during the race came while attempting to pass Ferguson after the lap-21 restart.

“I made a move on the 00 there earlier in the race and I really didn’t mean to hit him,” Joiner said of the incident. “I thought he was going high in one and two down there and I had already committed to run through the middle. We hit pretty hard. I’m glad it didn’t take him out. I was really worried about it. I hate that for him. He’s a really good dude and I didn’t mean to run into him by no means.”

Finding his groove late in the race, Dillard felt he had a car capable of offering a stiffer challenge Joiner, but said he was hampered by damage suffered while battling with Henderson for second.

“We had a good car. Congrats to Joiner. That’s a good group of hardworking guys so happy to see something rewarding like that for them,”  said Dillard, a regular on the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series until recent weeks who drove a Joel Couvillion-owned MB Customs car in returning to his home track. “I felt like we had a good car there at the end, but after bouncing off the wall a couple times racing with (Henderson) it’s a little out of wack.

“But the 10 ran a really good race. I would’ve had to caught him in a mistake to get by him. … He ran a good race. He hit his marks and never made a mistake to let us by there.”

The race lasted 90 minutes and was slowed by 13 cautions including a fuel stop at lap 51. None of the cautions were for serious accidents.

Feature lineup

Row 1: Carson Ferguson, Joseph Joiner
Row 2: Cade Dillard, Tanner Kellick
Row 3: Matt Henderson, Dylan Knowles
Row 4: Bo Slay, B.J. Robinson
Row 5: Trynt Lloyd, Tyler Burgess
Row 6: Brandon Ball, Rob Litton
Row 7: Shane Hebert, Steven Jernigan
Row 8: Matt Cooper, Justin McRee
Row 9: Rick Duke, Tyler Burnette
Row 10: Randall Beckwith, Jamie Buford
Row 11: Brad Couch, Chase Delrio
Row 12: Robbie Stuart, Bubba Mullins
Row 13: Dean Abbey, Cliff Williams
Row 14: James Shirley, Kevin Ramey
Row 15: Dalton Patrick, Jamie Traweek
Row 16: Mike Patrick

B-main results

First B-main (top four transfer): Randall Beckwith, Brad Couch, Robbie Stuart, Dean Abbey, Chris McElhenney, Clayton Stuckey, Chase Williams, Zachary Heflin, Jamie Shirley, Jim Gray, Tyler Stevens, Jim Spurlock, Colton Guin, Colton Leyendecker.

Second B-main (top four transfer): Jamie Buford, Chase Delrio, Bubba Mullins, Cliff Williams, Garrett Gibson, Ronnie Cooper, Jeff Chandler, name unavailable, Allen Tippen, James Shirley, Waylon Morris, Donald Watson, Dalton Patrick, name unavailable, Dylan Ramey, Corey Neil Jr.

B-main lineups

(20 laps, top four transfer)
First B-main
Row 1: Randall Beckwith, Robbie Stuart
Row 2: Bobby Jordan, Tyler Stevens
Row 3: Chase Williams, Brad Couch
Row 4: Chris McElhenney, Jamie Traweek
Row 5: Clayton Stuckey, C-main transfer
Row 6: C-main transfers
Row 7: C-main transfers
Row 8: Jim Gray
Second B-main
Row 1: Chase Delrio, Jamie Burford
Row 2: Bubba Mullins, Garrett Gibson
Row 3: Cliff Williams, Corey Neil Jr.
Row 4: Ronnie Cooper, James Shirley
Row 5: Jeff Chandler, C-main transfer
Row 6: C-main transfers
Row 7: C-main transfers
Row 8: C-main transfer

C-main lineup

(20 laps, top 12 transfer)
Row 1: Payton Brown, Colton Leyendecker
Row 2: Jim Spurlock, Jim Gray
Row 3: Allen Tippen, Waylon Morris
Row 4: Donald Watson, Greg Armstrong
Row 5: Johnny Allen, Jason Ingles
Row 6: Dean Abbey, Zachary Heflin
Row 7: Jason Page, Mike Patrick
Row 8: Dalton Patrick, Colton Guin
Row 9: Dylan Ramey, Kevin Ramey
Row 10: Jamie Shirley, Sid Scarborough
Row 11: Justin Hendrix, Ken Ellefson
Row 12: Kevin Patrick, Ryan French

Match races

The six heat race winners squared off in head-to-head match races to determine starting positions one through six for Saturday’s 100 lap finale. The winner of each match race advanced to face another competitor until only one remained. Match race results:
- Matt Henderson defeated Dylan Knowles;
- Cade Dillard defeated Henderson;
- Dillard defeated Tanner Kellick;
- Joseph Joiner defeated Dillard;
- Carson Ferguson defeated Joiner.

Heat race results

(12 laps; top three transfer)

First heat: Carson Ferguson, Bo Slay, Shane Hebert, Randall Beckwith, Tyler Stevens, Chris McElhenney, Payton Brown, Donald Watson, Jason Page, Jamir Shirley.

Second heat: Joseph Joiner, B.J. Robinson, Steve Jernigan, Chase Delrio, Garrett Gibson, Ronnie Cooper, Colton Leyendecker, Greg Armstrong, Mike Patrick.

Third heat: Tanner Kellick, Trynt, Lloyd, Matt Cooper, Robbie Stuart, Chase Williams, Jamie Traweek, Jim Spurlock, Johnny Allen, Dalton Patrick, Sid Scarborough.

Fourth heat: Cade Dillard, Tyler Burgess, Justin McRee, Jamie Burford, Cliff Williams, James Shirley, Jim Gray, name unavailable, Colton Guin. Scratched: Ryan French.

Fifth heat: Matt Henderson, Brandon Ball, Rick Duke, Bobby Jordon, Brad Couch, Clayton Stuckey, Allen Tippen, Dean Abbey, name unavailable, Dylan Ramey, Justin Hendrix.

Sixth heat: Dylan Knowles, Rob Litton, Tyler Burnett, Bubba Mullins, Corey Neil Jr., Jeff Chanler, Waylon Morris, Zachary Heflin, Kevin Ramey, Ken Ellefson.

Thursday's time trials

(Sets Friday's heat race lineups)

Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
First group
Trent Lloyd (2), Loxahatchee, Fla., 15.655
Tanner Kellick (3K), Mer Rouge, La., 15.791
Matt Cooper (18), McKenzie, Tenn., 15.855
Robbie Stuart (6R), DeRidder, La., 16.017
Chase Williams (c11jr), Star, Miss., 16.136
Johnny Allen (11aj), Lehigh, Fla., 16.222
Jamie Traweek (3), West Monroe, La., 16.341
Sid Scarborough (33), Florence, Miss., 16.542
Jim Spurlock (151), Arcadia, La., 16.575
Dalton Patrick (dp21), Columbia, La., 16.768
Second group
Dylan Knowles (66k), Lanett, Ala., 15.940
Tyler Burnett (51), Eros, La., 15.979
Bubba Mullins (11A), West Monroe, La., 15.999
Rob Litton (6x), Alexandria, La.,  16.086
Waylon Morris (1a), Benville, La., 16.215
Jeff Chanler (11c), Minden, La., 16.252
Corey Neil Jr. (955), Bridge City, Texas, 16.362
Zachary Heflin (3), Pitkin, La., 16.430
Ken Ellefson (11E), Fort Myers, Fla., 16.508
Kevin Ramey (7), Fort Worth, Texas, 16.533
Third group
Matt Henderson (17), Loudon, Tenn., 15.681
Dean Abbey (26), Waco, Texas, 15.877
Rick Duke (6D), Ball, La., 15.910
Brandon Ball (B17), Texarkana, Ark., 15.912
Clayton Stuckey (15), Shreveport, La., 15.920
Allen Tippen (71A), Minden, La., 16.187
Brad Couch (5c), Bossier City, La.,    16.247
Bobby Jordan (J8), McCarley, Miss., 16.444
Dylan Ramey (7M), Fort Worth, Texas, 16.711
Justin Hendrix (22H), West Monroe, La., 17.162
Fourth group
Carson Ferguson (00), Lincolnton, N.C., 15.335
Bo Slay (2), Milton, Fla., 15.943
Shane Hebert (9), Lafayette, La., 16.082
Payton Brown (P52), Calhoun, La., 16.104
Randall Beckwith (84), Kilmichael, Miss., 16.112
Jamie Shirley (1), Columbia, La., 16.147
Chris McElhenney (F27m), Decatur, Miss., 16.151
Donald Watson (91), Greenwell Springs, La., 16.491
Jason Page (7), West Monroe, La., 16.676
Fifth group
Cade Dillard (97), Robeline, La., 15.655
Tyler Burgess (2B), Memphis, Tenn., 15.696
Colton Guin (28c), Castor, La., 15.803
Cliff Williams (C11), Star, Miss., 15.993
Jamie Burford (19), Keatchie, La., 16.004
Justin McRee (25), Woodstock, Ala., 16.093
Jim Gray (47), Lynchburg, Tenn., 16.258
James Shirley (00s), Columbia, La., 16.394
Ryan French (21x), Natchitoches, La., no time
Sixth group
B.J. Robinson (1), Bossier City, La., 15.471
Joseph Joiner (10), Milton, Fla., 15.590
Garrett Gibson (54G), Houghton, La., 15.813
Chase Delrio (27), West Monroe, La., 15.857
Steve Jernigan (24), Milton, Fla., 15.866
Ronnie Cooper (10c), McKenzie, Tenn., 15.994
Greg Armstrong (11x), Farmerville, La., 16.250
Mike Patrick (zk21), Columbia, La., 16.604
Kevin Patrick (32), Columbia, La., no time