What won the race: Sixth-starting Joseph Joiner of Milton, Fla., muscled his way by early leader Chris Ferguson on lap 14 and led the rest of Saturday's 50-lap 25th annual Grassy Smith Memorial at Cherokee Speedway. Joiner repelled a last-lap gasp by Ferguson, beating him to the checkers by 0.490 of a second for his first career Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series victory and his second this season at Cherokee after May 4's Mike Duvall Memorial, also worth $10,000.

Quotable: “We come up here a couple times last year and we were a midpack car. Ever since we’ve been coming here this year, we’ve got a second and two wins, so this place has been good to us this year,” Joiner said. “I had a lot of fun driving this thing tonight. … Hopefully my wife’s still awake and the kids, I miss them man, I’ve been gone for over a month. We’re ready to go home, I’ll tell you that, I’m about to put that truck in the wind and haul ass.”

Key notes: Joiner captured his fourth feature victory of the season. ... Chris Ferguson led the opening 13 laps from the pole before he and Joiner made contact, pushing Ferguson wide as they completed the 14th circuit. Ferguson later made heavy turn-three contact with Ben Watkins as they battled for second, sending Watkins spinning on lap 33. ... Watkins changed his flat left-rear tire and recovered to round out the top five. ... Trent Ivey and Anthony Sanders made heavy frontstretch contact after a lap-43 restart, allowing Layton Sullivan to finish fourth aboard Dennis "Rambo" Franklin's No. 2 entry. Sanders slipped to sixth, with Ivey taking seventh. ... Austin Kirkpatrick gained nine spots to finish eighth. ... Jeff Smith finished 10th in the event that honored his grandfather Clarence “Grassy” Smith, the late father of National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Freddy Smith; Grassy died on Jan. 14, 1999, at the age of 79. ... The 50-lapper was slowed by seven cautions and lasted 41 minutes, most notably for a lap-18 yellow flag when Tegan Evans slowed in front of third-running Zack Mitchell, leaving Mitchell nowhere to go and scraping Evans's car, ripping his entire right-rear quarter panel and spoiler off; neither driver continued. ... Jake Jackson slowed from sixth with apparent driveline failure on the 12th lap. ... Gavin Cowan spun on a lap-seven restart attempt after contact with Steve Banal and Beckham Malone. Cowan continued until his hood flew up on lap 43, while Malone finished 12th, the final starter to complete 50 laps. ... Banal and Willie Milliken retired under the lap-seven stoppage. ... Gray Parton retired on the fourth lap. ... Chris Madden's night ended when engine woes struck leading the first heat.

On the move: Trent Ivey of Union, S.C., started 19th and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: Joiner’s Capital Race Car is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Kubota Tractors, Kubota Genuine Parts, Trading Paints, Hunt the Front TV, Northshore Boat Storage, Dirt Track Bank, Swift Springs, Base Racing Fuel, NRC Oil Pumps, AFCO Racing Products, QA1, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Wehrs Machine, KRC Power Steering, Earnhardt Technologies, MD3, Five Star Bodies, Gorsuch Performance, ATC Bolts and Sublmtd Apparel.

Points chase: Southern Thunder after Cherokee: 1. Zack Mitchell (340); 2. Beckham Malone (294); 3. Dalton Cook (266); 4. Michael Brown (264); 5. Trey Mills (240). Cherokee Chief after Saturday: 1. Joseph Joiner (294); 2. Trent Ivey (248); 3. Chris Ferguson (242); T4. Zack Mitchell (238); T4. Ben Watkins (238).

Current weather: Clear, 82°F

Car count: 30

Fast qualifier: Chris Madden

Time: 15.435 seconds

Polesitter: Chris Ferguson

Heat race winners: Chris Ferguson, Jake Jackson, Jordan Koehler, Ben Watkins

Consolation race winners: Austin Kirkpatrick

Next series race: June 28, Talladega Short Track (Eastaboga, AL) $7,542