September 2
Cherokee Speedway,
Gaffney, SC
Sanction: Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series (Hall Of Fame Race) - $5,000
Information provided by: Series reports (last updated September 3, 1:15 pm)
Hicks slips by Bailes, tops Cherokee Clash
Hall Of Fame Race
- Benji Hicks
- Dennis Franklin
- Ross Bailes
- Jeff Smith
- John Henderson
- Brian Ledbetter
- Mark Dysart
- Justin Hudspeth
- Ryan Gifford
- Chuck Smith
- Adam Yarbrough
- Kyle Pierce
- David Yandle
- Doug Sanders
- Dwayne Joyce
- Larry Grube
- Brent Dixon
- Michael Brown
- Anthony Sanders
- Zack Mitchell
- Timmy Rominger
- Jonathan Edwards
- Tim Vance
presented by
Amanda Lingerfelt
Benji Hicks earned $5,000 in Cherokee's Hall of Fame Race.
What won the race: Benji Hicks of Mount Airy, N.C., overtook fellow front-row starter Ross Bailes amid traffic on lap 18 and marched to victory in Sunday's 40-lap Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series feature at Cherokee Speedway. Hicks earned $5,000 in the 12th annual Hall of Fame Race his first tour victory.
Quotable: “I just kept the car as straight as I could to keep the tires under me,” winner Benji Hicks said. "I feel like I was running (Bailes) down and after a few cautions we wound up in heavy lapped traffic and, luckily, it played into my hands and we got around him. From there, the cautions fell our way and kept me out of heavy traffic.”
Key notes: Hicks is the tour's 75th winner. ... The polesitting Bailes led the race's first 17 laps before Hicks, who started second, snuck by in lapped traffic and never looked back. A caution with two laps to go gave Dennis Franklin a final shot, but the Gaffney, S.C., driver finished 1.416 seconds behind the victor. ... Bailes settled for a third-place finish in G.R. Smith's car. ... Brent Dixon was running second on lap 31 when he tangled with a lapped car and spun off turn two, ending his hopes. ... Hicks became the ninth winner in 11 Clash features this season. ... Michael Brown of Pageland, S.C., made his second start in the Billy Hicks-owned No. 79 and retired after 21 laps. .... Inductee's into Cherokee's Hall of Fame: Ernie Elkins, Dennis “Rambo” Franklin, Rick Gosnell, Tommy “Fat Cat” Robbs, and Buddy Smith.
On the move: Brian Ledbetter of Dallas, N.C., started 20th and finished sixth.
Winner's sponsors: Hicks drives a Longhorn Chassis powered by a Clement Racing Engine and sponsored by Auto Zone, South Main Street and T&K Enterprises.
Points chase: Entering the weekend, Ross Bailes (888) led Adam Yarbrough (861), Dennis Franklin (844), David Yandle (794) and Doug Sanders (784).
Car count: 24
Fast qualifier: Ross Bailes
Time: 15.323 seconds
Polesitter: Ross Bailes
Heat race winners: Dennis Franklin, Anthony Sanders
Next series race: September 22, Friendship Motor Speedway (Elkin, NC) $4,000
Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.
