What won the race: Inheriting the top spot after early leaders Ben Watkins and Donald McIntosh fell to the wayside, Jeff Smith of Dallas, N.C., controlled the final 15 circuits to capture Friday night’s 40-lap Buddy Crook Memorial at Lancaster Motor Speedway. The 58-year-old veteran beat Zack Mitchell to the finish line by 1.074 seconds for his first-ever Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series victory and a $12,000 payday.

Quotable: “It was just meant for us to win this tonight,” Smith said. “We had some luck in the heat race, we had some luck in the feature. The cautions came right — we were having overheating problems all night and I could get it cooled down under the cautions and go a few more laps.”

Key notes: The feature was originally scheduled for 50 laps, but after officials consulted with drivers during a lap-25 red flag for helmet changes or tearoff replacement the distance was shortened by 10 circuits due to the heavy track conditions. … Smith turned back Mitchell’s late-race challenges to record his first Super Late Model win since an Ultimate Southeast score on Aug. 12, 2023, at Lake View Motor Speedway in Nichols, S.C., and his first five-figure triumph since he earned $10,000 for a World of Outlaws checkered flag on April 17, 2009, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The win also came on his mother Naomi's 82nd birthday. … Riding a seven-race win streak in Super Late Model specials at Lancaster dating back to 2022, Watkins led the first 13 laps before slowing with terminal mechanical trouble and limping into the pit area. He finished 19th. … McIntosh inherited the top spot with Watkins’s demise but ran into trouble of his own, relinquishing the lead during the lap-25 red flag to change the left-rear tire on his Billy Hicks-owned car. He had climbed back to eighth on lap 31 when he slid sideways between turns three and four and was hard in the left-rear corner by Caden Mullinax. … Ashton Winger briefly overtook Mitchell for second on a lap-31 restart but ceded the spot back one circuit later and slipped to fifth in the finishing order. ... Points leader Brandon Overton was fourth on lap 12 when he slowed with a flat right-rear tire and front suspension damage that forced him to retire. ... Six caution flags slowed the 10th annual Buddy Crook Memorial, rain-postponed from May 4 and co-sanctioned with the Ultimate Southeast Series. ... Josh Henry broke down on the way to the track and Greg Clark scratched following hot laps; officials decided to start all 26 remaining cars in the feature.

On the move: Trey Mills of St. Augustine, Fla., started 26th and finished eighth.

Winner's sponsors: Smith’s Longhorn by WP Chassis is powered by a Clements Engine and carries sponsorship from WP Racing Shocks, Horne's Towing, Superior Pools of SC, D1 Enterprises, Ms. D’s Auto Service, Smokin’ Mountain Boys Bar-B-Que, Hopper’s Enterprises, UTV Lab, Smith Enterprises, Ave Motorsports, Phylis and Ikey, Jack and Paula, Absher’s Lawn Care and FK Rod Ends.

Points chase: After Lancaster: 1. Brandon Overton (658); 2. Saw Seawright (590); 3. Trey Mills (572); 4. Joseph Joiner (564); 5. Ashton Winger (558); 6. Josh Putnam (552); 7. Chris Ferguson (546); 8. Zack Mitchell (534); 9. Wil Herrington (510); 10. Jackson Hise (492).

Current weather: Clear, 82°F

Car count: 28

Fast qualifier: Ben Watkins

Time: 18.948 seconds

Polesitter: Ben Watkins

Heat race winners: Ben Watkins, Donald McIntosh, Jeff Smith

Next series race: July 6, Senoia Raceway (Senoia, GA) $20,000