What won the race: Enduring a rash of stoppages and restarts in a race where only three cars were running at the finish, Cory Hedgecock of Loudon, Tenn., led all 40 laps of Saturday's $5,000 Winter Championship at I-75 Raceway. Hedgecock took the checkers 1.767 seconds ahead of Billy Franklin for his first victory of the young season and his fourth career Southern All Star Series presented by Franklin Enterprises triumph, all of them coming at I-75 (2018, '22 and '23).

Quotable: “It felt really good. I was getting really confused, sometimes I’d pick up a shove. I don’t know, I felt like if I slowed down I was better,” Hedgecock said. “I wasn’t try to run it too, too hard, I thought we was okay. And then that sun came out and with the tire, it made me start sweating a little bit. Overall it was good, it was a good (tire) choice, it didn’t really even wear any, so I think I could’ve gone harder (compound), but overall we’ll take it, first (win) of the year.”

Key notes: Cory Hedgecock notched his first SAS win since the last series visit to I-75 on Aug. 19, 2023. ... It marked the first SAS event under Ray Cook's tour ownership. ... Fourth-starting Billy Franklin grabbed second on the lap-seven restart and trailed Hedgecock the rest of the way. ... Franklin's son, Kendall Franklin, finished third, the only other starter running at the finish. ... Joe Denby appeared to break and slowed from fourth to draw the race's ninth and final caution on lap 37. ... Jordan Rodabaugh retired from third after contact with Billy Franklin as they slowed for a lap-36 caution when fourth-running Christian Hanger lost his engine aboard the No. 376 Mark Bangs-owned entry. ... Ronnie Johnson, driving Joe Denby's backup, retired from fifth on the 35th lap. Johnson was originally slated to drive his familiar No. 5 until engine trouble in hot laps forced him to take Dillon Tidmore's seat. ... Tidmore, of Gadsden, Ala., scratched after recording the fastest time in hot laps, then giving up Denby's second car to the Hall of Famer. ... Skip Arp worked his way as high as sixth before pulling off on lap 12. ... A 10-minute red flag came on the seventh circuit when sixth-running Kyle Courtney bicycled and landed hard off the track in turn four. He needed assistance being loaded onto a golf cart for medical attention. He told DirtonDirt.com his left foot was swollen because it was pinned when mud crushed the cockpit in. He plans to get X-rays Monday. ... Another red flag came for a lap-12 tangle between Will Hicks and Michael Mims as they battled for 12th, with Hicks nosing hard into the frontstretch wall (they'd tangled before on the second lap). ... The 40-lapper lasted 54 minutes. ... Steve Smith joined Tidmore in scratching after hot laps; Cameron Hawkins scratched from the main event.

On the move: Kendall Franklin of Calera, Ala., started 13th and finished third.

Winner's sponsors: Hedgecock’s BMF Race Car is powered by an Eagle Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Best Plumber, K&P Used Cars, Base Fuels, Integra Racing Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, SFP Performance, Currin Construction, Circle H Services, CH Enterprises, Pro-Fabrication, Viper Motorsports, Arizona Sportswear, CDE Electric, Majestic Mobile Detail, Hoosier Tire, Winters Performance, Quickcar Racing Products, Brucebilt Performance and Schaeffer's Racing Oil.

Points chase: After I-75: 1. Cory Hedgecock (200); 2. Billy Franklin (196); 3. Kendall Franklin (194); 4. Joe Denby (192); 5. Joshua Chesney (190).

Current weather: Overcast, 52°F

Car count: 22

Fast qualifier: Cory Hedgecock

Time: 13.849 seconds

Polesitter: Cory Hedgecock

Next series race: February 22, Buckshot Speedway (Clanton, AL) $5,000