Erased opportunity

Stormy Scott of Las Cruces, N.M., captured Saturday's Bad Boy 98 finale at Batesville Motor Speedway after overtaking race-long leader Scott Crigler on a lap-48 restart, but another restart in the 68-lap Comp Cams Super Dirt Series was critical, as well.

On a lap-27 restart, Payton Freeman of Commerce, Ga., made a third-to-first move to slip past Scott and Crigler and take command. Alas, a huge pileup in turn four involving half the 24-car starting field nullified Freeman's move in his first weekend racing at the 3/8-mile oval

"I feel like, you know, it was still kind of early in the race, but I felt like I had done a good job of taking care of my tires there. I was proud of that and (was going) try to make a move there and get the lead and we're able to do that," Freeman said.

He wasn't sure he agreed with the ruling that reset the field with the pole-starting Crigler still out front.

"They say we didn't make a lap. I don't know if I agree or disagree. I felt like we did," he said. "If we didn't make a lap right there, I don't see how we did the (on) next caution. The very next restart, you know, we had a bad restart and fell back to fourth, but they let that go."

Added Freeman, who posted third-place finishes in both nights of Bad Boy 98 action: "Proud of our effort, I just wish things would played out a little bit different."

For Scott, it was a big victory for crew chief Jason Durham and the team that spent the last several months developing the new Category 5 Race Car. Scott's $12,000 triumph was the first for the fledgling chassis brand.

"I think it shows how good this race car really is and I should already have more wins than what I do," Scott said. "But we've honestly only raced this thing eight times and every time we race it, it seems like we just find a little bit more speed here and there. It's just so easy to drive and it's just so fun to drive."

Going for broke

Cole Searing of Huron, S.D., the 2022 Structural Buildings WISSOTA Challenge Series champion, has conflicting races at his home track that will preclude another run at a tour championship. But he's not shy about trying to grab as many victories on the series as possible.

The 29-year-old Searing is off to a good start with Friday and Saturday victories at I-94 EMR Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minn., and Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minn. At I-94 he fought off a late challenge from Sammy Mars, then at Viking he overtook Mars on a lap-25 restart for another $3,000 payday.

Track conditions were a little dicey at Viking, "so that kinda had me a little unsettled," Searing said. "But we're going for wins. So it's either we're gonna drive around them or end up in the tulips."

Mars dominated most of the race, but Searing didn't settle for dueling for second with Tyler Peterson.

"The yellow come out and I figured, 'Well, we just as well (should) try something' and, lo and behold, here we are again," Searing said in victory lane. "That was fun. I felt like I was catching (Mars and Peterson) in lapped traffic there kind of like they did to me last night. It just worked out. We had that yellow and I was able to sneak around on the top there. Sam kind of went into protect mode over there. I didn't know if it's gonna work (in the high groove)."

Searing was confident at I-94 but less so at Viking, where he'd never competed in the Late Model division. He's excited for a chance to sweep the season-opening WISSOTA Challenge weekend on Sunday at Granite City Motor Park in Sauk Rapids, Minn., a track owned by one of his major sponsors, Collins Brothers Towing.

"We'll see if we can cap it off (with) 3-for-3 tomorrow," he said.

Tyler Stevens of Searcy, Ark., on Friday became the season's first two-time winner on the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series with his $5,000 victory in the 30-lap opening round of the Bad Boy 98 weekend. What will it take to win Saturday's 68-lap feature that would pay Stevens career-high $12,000?

"We gotta go through a few things," Stevens said in victory lane. "I could have been a little bit better there (in) a few different spots, but overall, you know, we was really good. I think (I need to) find a little bit of better balance. We're gonna have to really do some tire conservation tomorrow. That 68-lapper's is gonna be tough."

Stevens was fortunate to be competing at all after breaking a powerplant during practice seven days earlier.

"Luckily, Keith Hammett, one of my biggest sponsors, he had a spare motor that he loaned me," Stevens said. "So, without him, we wouldn't even be standing here. So definitely thank you to him."

Stevens led the first 14 laps before Scott Crigler of Alton, Mo., slipped by in turn four when the leader got too high. The cars of Stevens and Crigler came together in turn two — with the right-front of the Stevens machine making contact with the left-rear of Crigler's car — but Crigler maintained the lead until slowing on lap 22 with a flat tire that put Stevens back out front.

"It got a little hectic there for a minute," Stevens said. "We caught a couple of (lapped cars) there that were racing for position and then, you know, I was trying to be patient and I knew tires had come in to factor. I don't know for sure what (tire compound) Scott went on, but he had that left rear go down. I'd be willing to bet he went soft."

Late in the race, "I just hit my marks and I knew if I hit my marks and did my job in the seat (things would turn out well). This thing, all night from the get go, was really, really good. I've had a lot of help this week and getting back on track. Hopefully this will be another good week."

Trying a Dirt Late Model

Count Danny Dietrich as the latest open-wheel standout to try his hand in Dirt Late Model racing.

The Pennsylvania Posse Sprint Car star announced intentions on Friday to make his debut in the fendered discipline on July 28 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway as part of the half-mile oval’s Frank Sagi Tribute live on FloRacing.

Dietrich, whose 143 wins in Central PA are second-most among active drivers, will drive a Rocket Chassis owned by Pennsylvania car owner Larry Baer with Pennsylvania Dirt Late Model racer Coleby Frye helping him get up to speed.

“I’ve wanted to try a Late Model for a long time and am really looking forward to this opportunity," Dietrich, 35, said in Friday’s press release announced by Turn 5 Turn Around. “I want to have fun with this deal, but having fun to me is being competitive. I’ll do everything I can to make that happen for the fans, the crew and myself."

The Sunday night special Dirt Late Model event honoring the speedway's late, 39-year track announcer Frank Sagi is promoted by Alan Sagi — son of Frank — who has sought Pennsylvania's finest Sprint Car drivers to crossover into a Dirt Late Model for the evening the last few years.
Sagi helped put National Sprint Car Hall of Fame driver Lance Dewease in a Dirt Late Model in 2022 and in 2019 he put eventual five-time Port Royal Speedway track champion Logan Wagner in a fendered machine, too.

Twin 20-lap features paying $3,000-to-win apiece are on the night's docket with an inversion among the top finishers of the opening race. Among special guests will be retired Super Late Model racers Jeff Robinson and Jeremy Miller along with Mike Warrenfeltz, the track’s all-time winningest pure stock driver.

Gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. Visit hagerstownspeedway.com or the track’s social media channels for details.