Tri-County Racetrack
'Coach' slips by late for hometown victory
Third-place Ray Cook (left) and winner David Payne. (dt52photos.com)
BRASSTOWN, N.C. (June 13) — Thrilling a hometown crowd, high school basketball coach David Payne of nearby Murphy slipped past race-long leader Anthony White to lead the final three laps of the Tennessee Thunder DirtCar Series 40-lapper at Tri-County Racetrack. Payne's Tar Heel Shootout victory, his second career on the series, paid $3,000 as he outran White and another hometown favorite, Ray Cook. | Slideshow
“I couldn’t help but think about that night a couple of years ago when I flipped my car in hot laps here and I have really wanted to get one of these wins here at my home track. This feels really good," Payne said. "I think Anthony scraped the wall down the backstretch and that’s all I needed to get by him."
Cook finished third with fast qualifier Tommy Kerr of Maryville, Tenn., and former Tri-County winner Kayne Hickman of Soddy Daisy, Tenn., rounding out the top five on a night when rain delayed action until 9:15 p.m. Payne took the checkered flag just past midnight.
Payne and White started on the front row and the outside position paid off for White as he took control to lead Payne, Cook, Kerr and Hickman from the outset. The race was plagued by 12 cautions with the longest green-flag stretch of 14 circuits as the top five held their spots.
It appeared White would race to his third career TTDCS victory in Brasstown, but a rare bobble in turn three allowing Payne to get by. He completed his victory by turning donuts in the infield mud preceding his victory lap.
Notes: Payne's MasterSbilt Race Car is owned by Gibson Motorsports and sponsored by Payne Tire, American Racer, Anderson Woodworks and PPM Racing Products. ... Series points leader Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, Tenn., missed the race when his Mike Kittrell Motorsports team's hauler broke down en route. ... Next up for TTDCS competitors is a $3,000-to-win on June 20 at Mountain Raceway Park in Maryville, Tenn.
Tar Heel Shootout: (1) David Payne, (2) Anthony White, (3) Ray Cook, (4) Tommy Kerr, (5) Kayne Hickman, (6) Johnny Chastain, (7) Steve Casebolt, (8) Dan Tipton, (9) Russell Thomas, (10) Rodney Weeks, (11) Doug Smith, (12) Jeff Neubert, (13) Sammy Berrong, (14) Darryl Freeman, (15) Shawn Chastain, (16) Jamie Oliver, (17) Ethan Hunter, (18) Jason Payne, (19) George Mashburn, (20) Gabe Wilson, (21) Billy Mayo, (22) Jake Knowles, (23) Glenn Barnett. Scratched: Daniel Wilson, Ronnie Payne. Fast qualifier (among 25 cars): Kerr, 13.469 seconds. Dash winners: D. Payne, White.
