What won the race: Passing race-long leader Ross Bailes as they worked traffic with three laps remaining, Cory Hedgecock of Loudon, Tenn., led the rest of the way to win Saturday’s 40-lap Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series main event at I-75 Raceway. Hedgecock eased away to win by 0.857 seconds to earn $5,000.

Quotable: “I think (Bailes) was still faster. Just the good clean air (and) I didn’t expect it to go green all the way either,” Hedgecock said. “He was being very kind to those lapped cars and everything. We just used it to our advantage and he kinda got pinched down right there. I knew the middle was kinda there. It still wasn’t as fast as the bottom I felt like. I just needed him to be kinda marred up a little bit in order for it to work.”

Key notes: Bailes, who started third, led laps 1-37 of the caution-free feature before Hedgecock closed in in traffic. With Bailes trying to work the low line around the lapped car of Tim Vance, Hedgecock made the winning pass on the outside. … It was Hedgecock’s second $5,000 victory in as many weeks and his 14th victory of the season. … Ten of the 22 starters completed 40 laps. … Polesitter Ben Watkins ran second for the first eight laps before slipping to fourth. … It was Hedgecock’s first career victory with the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series, which made its first-ever visit to I-75 Raceway, the seventh different track the series has visited since its inception in 2019. … The series kicked off its third season in November with Bailes of Clover, S.C., winning at Lancaster (S.C.) Speedway and Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., winning at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C.

On the move: Carson Ferguson of Concord, N.C., started ninth and finished third.

Winner's sponsors: Hedgecock’s Black Diamond Chassis is powered by an Eagle Race Engine with sponsorship from E-Z-GO, Green’s Recycling, Brucebilt Performance Parts, I-75 Raceway, Budget Transmission, Cobb’s Auto Parts, Ohlins and Pro Fabrication.

Points chase: Before I-75: 1. Ross Bailes (123); 2. Carson Ferguson (120); 3. Ben Watkins (120); 4. Michael Brown (110); 5. Brett Hamm (97).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 68°F

Car count: 25

Fast qualifier: Jensen Ford

Time: 14.077 seconds

Polesitter: Ben Watkins

Heat race winners: Jensen Ford, Eli Beets, Christian Hanger

Consolation race winners: Dalton Cook

Provisional starters: Tim Vance, Jonathan Ingram

Next series race: January 15, Lake View Motor Speedway (Lake View, SC) $5,000