DirtonDirt.com Dispatches
Dispatches: McIntosh sweats out Southern Nationals title
The title-winning Billy Hicks Racing team. (mrmracing.net)
Among latest notes and quotes from around Dirt Late Model racing in late July including action from the Northern LateModel Racing Association, Malvern Bank-sponsored tours, Schaeffer's Southern Nationals and more (look for World of Outlaws Case Late Model Series coverage from Fairbury's Prairie Dirt Classic in separate stories):
McIntosh's title
Entering Saturday's points finale on the Schaeffer's Southern Nationals with a 20-point lead, Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., knew he'd be in good shape provided he logged a top-10 finish at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway.
And things looked good for the 31-year-old racer when he was running third, chasing leader Mike Benedum and second-running Dale McDowell. The Billy Hicks Racing driver appeared liked he'd cruise to the championship on 20th season of the Ray Cook-founded tour. But after 33 laps, McIntosh's suddenly slowed and he coasted to the infield, where he watched his next closest competitor in points, Cory Hedgecock of Loudon, Tenn., continue en route to a fifth-place finish.
In a traditional points format, McIntosh would've been doomed losing the title by a mere two points to Hedgecock. But because the series allows driver to drop their worst finish from their points total — McIntosh's dropout at Tazewell was his worst — McIntosh still secured the title by a 10-point margin.
Collecting the championship trophy at Tazewell was a little deflating with the circumstances, but McIntosh was glad to secure his second title. His first came in 2021 with Blount Motorsports.
"We've had one heck of a car. We broke a drive flange tonight, but it's been a fun series. We've had a lot of fun ... it's pretty awesome," McIntosh said, credited chassis builder Benji Hicks, his team's sponsors and team owner Billy Hicks. "We've just really gelled and really figured out what I want to feel in the car and what changes that really help me in my feel to go fast. I'm really blessed to be able to work with him. He's a really good guy and it's a really good team."
McIntosh, whose lone series victory came in the July 12 opener at Beckley (W.Va.) Motor Speedway, was disappointed not to be able to race for the victory in the points finale, saying "I hate we had the luck we did tonight. I really think in the long run it could have been a race between the three of us, but yeah, that's the way it goes sometimes."
McDowell, of Chickamauga, Ga., overtook Benedum on the 52nd of 75 laps and captured his series leading fourth victory and second in a row after winning one night earlier at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, Ga. The Tazewell victory paid a handsome $20,053.
McDowell's brother, crew chief and car owner Shane McDowell "made some changes and obviously kind of went the right way." McDowell said of a car the team hadn't, before Friday, run since February. "But we were worried. Normally when you start (further) back here, you're in trouble. And there's an awful lot of good talent here, and just good racers. You look up through there and, you know, when I was starting the seventh, I was really like, 'Man, I'm not gonna be able to drive up through there.' So it just worked out where we could maneuver around." — Series and staff reports
Streaking Strand
Dustin Strand of Grand Forks, N.D., will try to complete a sweep of the final three-race Northern LateModel Racing Association weekend of the year Saturday at Devils Lake Speedway in Crary, N.D.
The 41-year-old captured Thursday's weekend opener at Victory Lane Speedway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, then on Friday at his home track River Cities Speedway he was able to find a way past race-long leader Tyler Peterson with three laps remaining.
"I was driving my ass off, I'll tell ya that," Strand said in victory lane. "The car was really good and the track was fast as heck. I didn't think we'd get to him, to tell you the truth, but the lapped cars definitely helped me out. That was pretty badass."
Strand notched his fifth victory of the season and 34th of his career, both tops on the long-running Upper Midwestern tour. After overtaking Peterson, Strand feared he might lose the lead in the race's waning laps.
"I knew I had to make (the car) wide. I was actually, at the end there, I was trying to keep a lapped car next to me so the track was blocked because I figured (Peterson) was coming screaming back by," Strand said. " And then, the lap before the white (flag), I got in a little hot and got sideways and lost my speed. And I thought, 'Jeez, don't give it up now,' but it was pretty fun."
Strand's victory at 2018 was his first on the NLRA circuit at Victory Lane Speedway since 2018, the tour's last trip to the track.
At Devils Lake, Strand will likely find Peterson blocking his path to a weekend sweep. Peterson two weeks ago won the track's $5,000 Golden Hammer Classic on the NLRA circuit. Strand won NLRA's first 2024 visit to the 3/10-mile oval on May 11. — Series reports
Justin just in time
In chasing down Dave Eckrich on Friday at Marshalltown (Iowa) Speedway, Justin Kay of Wheatland, Iowa, wasn't sure how many laps he had left. He just knew it was go time at the $4,544-to-win Dale DeFrance Memorial, a race on Joe Kosiski's Malvern Bank-sponsored East and West circuits.
"I was just guessing we were getting close," Kay said. "So I just started winging the top and hope for the best."
The best is what happened as Kay was able to wriggle past Eckrich on the final lap, winning the race to the checkers exiting turn four in repeating last season's victory in the event that honors the late father of current racer Darrel DeFrance.
"I don't think I was as good as Dave," Kay said. "He just kind of got caught up in lapped cars and got a little slower."
The all-time winningest driver on the Malvern Bank East Series had a hard time figuring out what was the fastest way around, but eventually got the job done.
"I mean, just the (way the) track was, we were so even. I mean, you could run the top, the bottom, the middle and it just was so even it was hard to pass almost. But, I just seen guys running everywhere," Kay said. "I kind of felt the best for run through the middle and letting it slide all the way up. I don't know, it just, it worked in our favor tonight." — Series reports
Odds and ends
• Leading every lap, Matt Sponaugle of Wiley Ford, W.Va., captured Friday's Gary Martz Memorial at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway for a $3,700 payday.
• Kyle Moore of Mansfield, Ohio, entered the season without a victory at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park, and after Friday's triumph, he knows own four. Moore has won three straight Attica features and hasn't finished worse than third at the track all season.
• Shane Sabraski of Rice, Minn., broke the 900-victory feature victory mark in his multidivision career earlier this season and he's not slowing down. In winning his 10th Late Model feature of his rookie season in the division Thursday at Grand Rapids (Minn.) Speedway, he added victories in thes super stock and modified divisions as well.
• Dacotah Speedway in Mandan, N.D., saw Friday's Governers Cup feature for Late Models rained out and will run double features Saturday. Both races pay $2,000-to-win.
• Andrew Reaume of Blenheim, Ontario, won the Super Late Model opener of a two-race weekend at Buxton Speedway in Merlin, Ontario.
