Deep Fried winner

Running third with just over 30 laps remaining in Saturday's Deep Fried 75 at Duck River Raceway Park in Wheel, Tenn., Tanner English of Benton, Ky., felt like he was gaining on frontrunners Dale McDowell and Ashton Winger.

English will never know whether he'd have caught them or not as the Georgia drivers came together hard at the end of the backstretch on the 45th lap, leaving both with significant damage that forced them pitside — and handed the lead to English.

The 31-year-old English, who led the final 31 laps at Duck River for a $20,000 Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series victory, wasn't sure about the track conditions before the main event.

"I was a little scared when they worked the track, you know. It's still pretty sticky right here. But it still raced pretty good, you know?" English said. "Me and Dale and Ashton had some good racing. I hate it for them, you know. I think it was just a racing deal, you know — they were both going for the same spot.

"But right before that I had found a line that where I was kind of diamonding off (turns) three and four and I was catching them. So who knows what would have happened, I don't know. But I'd like to think I could have passed them outright."

Regardless, English picked up one of the most lucrative victories of his career at a track where he's had significant success.

"It's pretty cool," English said. "This place was packed ... it's because of racing like that is why it's packed. Tracks do it to themselves most of the time. When they really work it and work at it there, it shows. They're putting the money into it and I appreciate them, and appreciate (Hunt the Front) for putting this deal on." — Series reports

Seawright survives

After overtaking polesitter Wil Herrington on the season lap, Sam Seawright of Rainsville, Ala., appeared to be fully in control of Friday's Deep Fried 75 prelim on the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series at Duck River Raceway Park in Wheel, Tenn.

But suddenly Seawright got too high in turn four on 22nd lap, allowing Brandon Overton to quickly make up ground and edge into the lead down the frontstretch.

"I don't know what happened," the 20-year-old Seawright said. "I just drove in turn three and a little hotter than I had and I thought I gave it away there."

Seawright wasn't going to let his second Hunt the Front tour victory of the season slip away so easily.

"But I didn't give up," Seawright said. "I just kept giving her all I had, and it paid off."

Muscling past Overton to regain the lead on the very next lap, Seawright led the rest of the 30-lapper for a $5,000 payday that sets him up as one of the favorites for Saturday's $20,000-to-win Deep Fried 75 finale.

Overton pounced when he had a chance to take the lead, but the Evans, Ga., driver knew Seawright had a better car.

"He got up there and pushed a little bit and I just turned left. I cleared him (in turn one) and then he, he fired it back in there and I seen him coming," Overton said, decided to just "lay up before I tear the damn wall down. We've tore up a lot of stuff lately.

"He was better anyway, like I said. I was losing touch with him before the caution ever come out to begin with. I just went to the top and made some hay."

Seawright, whose previous HTF victory came at Ultimate Motorsports Park in Elkin, N.C., three months earlier, said he "led that thing too long to give it away like that. Brandon's my hero. To be up there racing with Ashton and Brandon and sliding each other, it's awesome.

"I've just always been good here ever since I was a little kid racing Crate cars. I don't know what it is. But I really wanted to win that race bad. You know, me and Livie (Smith) got engaged. She's my fiancee now and my dad didn't get to come for a long time because he was so sick and he's back here with us and that kind of lit a fire under me to do good." — Series reports

Freeman's breakthrough

Payton Freeman of Commerce, Ga., had never won an event on the Ray Cook-promoted and Schaeffer Oil-promoted tours entering the weekend. But after capturing Friday's $7,553 Schaeffer's Southern Nationals victory at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, he's hoping to add to that victory total Saturday at Senoia (Ga.) Raceway as the tour wraps up its season with another non-points event.

"Heck, we've had a long week and I'm really excited to be able to go into tomorrow with some momentum," the 22-year-old Freeman said. "That's a place that I feel like we've always run really good at. I've won some Crate races there, just never got it done in the Super. So hopefully we can take our momentum from tonight and parlay that into another win tomorrow."

At East Alabama, Freeman benefitted from the misfortune of Georgia driver Austin Horton, who led laps 11-33 but retired with damage after contact with a lapped car. The fifth-starting Freeman took command and led the rest of the 40-lapper.

“Man we really needed this more than a lot of people know,” Freeman said. “We haven’t gotten to race a ton this year, but every time I feel like we’ve raced, we’ve been really competitive and in contention to win races. It means a lot to be able to win here. I've always struggled here a little bit. These Ray Cook races man, they’re hard to win .. it’s hard to believe this is my first one, but hopefully it’s the first of many.”

The East Alabama and Senoia races were added as non-points events after rainouts during the tour's originally scheduled dates. Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., wrapped up the series points championship July 27 at Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway. — Series reports