May 27
Thunderhill Raceway Park,
Summertown, TN
Sanction: Southern All Star Series (Memorial Day Classic) - $5,000
Information provided by: Series and track reports (last updated May 31, 9:55 pm)
Cook wins wild SAS stop at Thunderhill, $5,000
Memorial Day Classic
- Dalton Cook
- Oakley Johns
- Ryan Wilson
- Caleb Gay
- Scott Cook
- Matt Cooper
- Clint Nichols
- Billy Franklin
- Austin Franklin
- Justin Maxwell
- Grayson Brewer
- Ronnie Cooper
- Bobby Allen
- Jay Scott
- Matthew Brocato
- Jadon Frame
- Dan Cox
- Dillon Tidmore
- Parker Martin
- Caleb Ashby
- Tyler Wood
- Logan Mize
- Josh Putnam
What won the race: Fourth-starting Dalton Cook of Smiths Station, Ala., inherited the lead when race-long leader Dillon Tidmore made contact with Jadon Frame, ending both of their nights. Cook paced the final 25 laps to win Saturday's $5,000 Memorial Day Classic feature at Thunderhill Raceway Park, his second career Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series victory.
Quotable: “Man it feels real good," Cook said. “I destroyed this thing at Cherokee two days ago. We got home yesterday about 3 p.m. and me and a couple buddies got started (fixing the car) and I went to bed about 2 a.m. last night. I got up about 7:30 this morning, finished it up and got here in time. We put a rearend in there, whole front end, suspension, rack. I just kept finding bent stuff.”
Key notes: Second-starting Dillon Tidmore led the first 15 laps before tangling with Frame down the backstretch; the contact immediately ended Tidmore's night, relegating him to 18th while Frame completed six more laps before pulling off on lap 21, finishing 16th. ... Fourteenth-starting Oakley Johns moved into the runner-up position with a three-wide move on lap 37 and finished 1.628 seconds behind Cook. ... Ryan Wilson advanced 10 positions and finished third. ... Caleb Gay gained three spots and finished fourth. ... Scott Cook made contact while battling Josh Putnam for fourth on lap 21, sending Putnam's car completely off the track in turn one. Putnam exited his stopped vehicle and approached Cook's car under yellow, throwing several punches while Cook remained buckled-in. Several other skirmishes broke out among crew members and onlookers, necessitating a 15-minute red flag for series officials to restore order. Scott Cook finished fifth while Putnam was DQ'd for his behavior and credited with 23rd. ... A lap-six incident also required several minutes for cleanup when Tyler Wood got upside down in turn two, collecting Logan Mize and Dan Cox; while unhurt, Wood and Mize were unable to continue and Cox finished 17th. ... Saturday's feature lasted 47 minutes with 11 drivers completing all 40 laps.
On the move: Matt Cooper of McKenzie, Tenn., started 23rd and finished sixth.
Winner's sponsors: Cook’s Rocket Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Riverside, River Side Window & Door, Cook's Heating & Air, Parker’s Towing, Mars Hill Truck Sales, C&S Auto Electric, Hoosier Tire South, WrapTech and CP Diesel Performance.
Points chase: After Thunderhill: 1. Caleb Gay (564); 2. Billy Franklin (484); 3. Dalton Cook (388); 4. Dan Cox (374); 5. Parker Martin (294).
Current weather: Clear, 68°F
Car count: 23
Fast qualifier: Jadon Frame
Time: 11.764 seconds
Polesitter: Jadon Frame
Next series race: June 3, Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, TN) $5,000
Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.