Hedgecock captures $3,500 ‘Frostbuster’ victory in 2018 season-opener at Volunteer Speedway

Hedgecock captures $3,500 ‘Frostbuster’ victory in 2018 season-opener at Volunteer Speedway

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (Feb. 24, 2018) — Volunteer Speedway kicked off its 45th season of racing Saturday with running of the Frostbuster, headlined by the Schaeffer’s Oil Iron-Man Late Model Series presented by DirtOnDirt.com, and Brucebilt Performance Iron-Man Modified Series.

However, Mother Nature threatened to wash out the 2018 season-opener as rain showers were falling all around East Tennessee overnight Friday into the morning hours Saturday. But both race fans and competitors alike know one thing, track promoter Mitch McCarter will race if at all possible. Once the skies finally cleared, track personnel began working the surface into shape for racing to take place.

Cory Hedgecock of Loudon proved to be the “iron man,” as he survived to capture the $3,500 Super Late Model main event victory.

Ray Cook toured the high banks at 12.334 seconds to capture the pole starting position for the 35-lap feature, with Chris Barton timing-in second quickest at 12.430 to nail down the outside front-row starting berth.

Cook jumped out to the lead on the opening lap over Barton, Casey Roberts, Ryan King and Hedgecock. But Cook’s raced quickly ended on lap 7 when the driveshaft broke and he slowed to a stop bringing the caution out.

Barton paced the field off the restart followed by King taking second place over Roberts, with Hedgeock and Billy Ogle Jr. in pursuit. Roberts worked on King for several circuits before managing to get around him on lap 15 to reclaim the second spot.

Caution waved on lap 19 when Joey Standridge spun between turns one and two, and before going back green both King and Chad Ogle retired from the race and entered the pits.

Roberts bolted back out into the lead on the restart, while Hedgecock passed Roberts to move into second. But the caution waved once again on lap 22 when Roberts spun and had to be towed into the pits.

On the ensuing restart it was Hedgecock who quickly got around Barton for the lead, and in racing many times it’s said that cautions breed cautions, and that proved to be true as one final caution waved on lap 26 for Barton, whose car slowed on the track while badly smoking.

Back under green for a run to the checkered flag, Hedgecock easily cruised to victory over Jadon Frame, Billy Ogle Jr., and Craig Greer – the only four cars running at the finish – as Barton wound up in the fifth spot.

Completing the top 10 finishers in the attrition-filled race were Roberts, King, Ogle, Standridge and Pierce McCarter.

Shon Flanary set fast-time in qualifying at 13.559 seconds for the $1,200-to-win Brucebilt Performance Iron-Man Modified Series feature, but it was Chase King of Seymour powering out into a lead he would never relinquish on the start.

Behind King and Flanary, Clayton Miller, Ervin Vance, Billy Palmer, Amos Bunch and Wayne James were engaged in battle for position. But the race for Miller ended on lap 7 when smoke erupted from his car and he headed into the pits.

King really knows his way around “The Gap,” having won four Steel Head Late Model features last year. Flanary managed to stay within striking distance of King through the first half of the race, but ultimately King would cruise to a 5.007-second margin of victory. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Vance, Bunch and Palmer.

Anthony White was hooked up and haulin’ during Crate Late Model qualifying as he posted a fast-lap of 12.866 seconds. White and Gary Crittenden led the 19-car field to green from the front row for the 25-lap feature.

White powered into the lead at the start over Crittenden, Trevor Sise, Cory Hedgecock and Jason Trammell. Both Sise and Hedgecock got around Crittenden on the second lap for position.

Behind them several drivers including Trammell, Rusty Ballenger, Tim Maupin, Jesse Lowe, Tim Byrd, Josh Fields, Andy Ogle, and Eli Beets were jockeying for real estate around the high banks. But many in attendance were also focused on the run hard-charger Josh Henry was making from rear of the field, where he started after having issues during qualifying.

With White in command out front, stretching his advantage over Sise and Hedgecock, Henry was making noise on his way toward the front in picking off positions lap-after-lap. Caution waved on lap 14 when Trammell slowed to a stop.

Off the ensuing restart White once again flexed his muscle in speeding back out to the lead, while behind the “Dirty White Boy” it was Ballenger and Hedgecock moving past Sise. But there would be no catching White as he recorded the flag-to-flag victory worth $1,500.

White was chased to the checkers by Ballenger, Hedgecock, Sise and Henry, who overtook Crittenden, Ogle and Fields over the final five laps to bring home the fifth-place finish.

Zach Sise was quickest in Sportsman Late Model qualifying with a fast-lap at 13.032 seconds. Sise and Aaron Guinn of Morristown led the strong 22-car field to green from the front row.

Guinn grabbed the lead over Sise, Brad Seagle, Brandon Miller and Josh Dietz. Behind the top five in the running order, action was two- and three-wide involving Jed Emert, Mark Leach, Zach Shannon, defending track champion Heath Alvey, Jonathan Sims, Jeremy Shannon, D.J. Shannon, Devin Bahhur and Floyd Self.

While the racing was good all back through the field, there was a great battle for the lead out front between Guinn and Sise. On several occasions Sise would stick the nose of his ride underneath Guinn racing off the corners, but each time Guinn slammed the door shut and maintained his advantage on the point. Lurking in their shadows was Seagle, hoping the pair would tangle to open the door for him to move out front.

Guinn and Sise raced each other hard, but also clean, to the finish with Guinn earning a hard-fought victory. Finishing third through fifth, respectively, were Seagle, Emert and Miller.

Michael Woods of Morristown earned the pole position for the 20-lap Modified Street feature with a time of 14.345 seconds.

But the race for Woods didn’t begin on a good note, as he and fellow front-row starter Kurt Owens were relegated back one row for two bad attempts getting the race underway. Wayne Rader and Gary Blanken were moved up to the front row for a third try at green, which proved to be successful with Rader jumping out to the lead over Blanken, Woods, Owens and Shannon Emery.

Rader’s hopes of winning came to an abrupt ending on lap 7, when he scattered pieces of the transmission and driveshaft along the front straightaway into the first turn, which necessitated the red flag being displayed to allow for track cleanup.

Woods assumed the lead off restart over Owens and Blanken, but the race was only under green for two circuits before caution and then the red flag waved once again, when McKenlee Hall got up on the backstretch wall and almost flipped, badly damaging his ride.

Once again Woods held the lead over Owens and Blanken back under green, but the battle among Owens and Blanken for second place saw the duo race side-by-side for five laps before Blanken gained the position. … Woods went on to capture the victory over Blanken, Owens, Brandon Ramsey and Chad McLemore.

John Stevens of Harlan, Ky., visited victory lane on three occasions last year, including the season-opener. Once again he kicked another racing season off in fine fashion as he captured the Classic feature win over Tim Stevens, Jesse Hickman, Chris Worsham and Nicholas King.

VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY – BULLS GAP, TN – SATURDAY, FEB. 24, 2018 – “FROSTBUSTER”

SCHAEFFER’S OIL IRON-MAN LATE MODEL SERIES (35 laps)

1. Cory Hedgecock #9-Loudon, TN
2. Jadon Frame #J8-Winchester, TN
3. Billy Ogle Jr. #201-Knoxville, TN
4. Craig Greer #7-Cleveland, TN
5. Chris Barton #144-Middlesboro, KY
6. Casey Roberts #101-Toccoa, GA
7. Ryan King #1G-Seymour, TN
8. Chad Ogle #10-Sevierville, TN
9. Joey Standridge #56-Tellico Plains, TN
10. Pierce McCarter #1-Gatlinburg, TN
11. Steve Smith #3-Powell, TN
12. Ray Cook #53-Brasstown, NC

BRUCEBILT PERFORMANCE IRON-MAN MODIFIED SERIES (25 laps)

1. Chase King #44-Seymour, TN
2. Shon Flanary #98-Surgoinsville, TN
3. Ervin Vance #P20-Beaver, KY
4. Amos Bunch #50-Wartburg, TN
5. Billy Palmer #36-Knoxville, TN
6. Wayne James #4-Newport, TN
7. Justin Blevins #50-Chilhowie, VA
8. Clayton Miller #15-Elkton, KY
9. Robbie Comer #42-Lafollette, TN
10. Brandon Hutchinson #A85-McDowell, KY

CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps)

1. Anthony White #2
2. Rusty Ballenger #29
3. Cory Hedgecock #23
4. Trevor Sise #73
5. Josh Henry #B00
6. Gary Crittenden #18
7. Andy Ogle #68
8. Josh Fields #11
9. Tim Byrd #24
10. Eli Beets #109
11. Tim Maupin #3
12. Jim Couch #41
13. Jerry Green #14
14. Ronnie Martin Jr. #15
15. Jason Trammell #90
16. Jesse Lowe #5
17. Kyle Courtney #2
18. Ross White #0
19. Chase Walls #25

Did Not Start: Brad Jenkins #31

SPORTSMAN LATE MODEL (20 laps)

1. Aaron Guinn #97
2. Zach Sise #9
3. Brad Seagle #31
4. Jed Emert #41
5. Brandon Miller #89
6. Jeremy Shannon #1
7. Jonathan Sims #30
8. D.J. Shannon #D22
9. Devin Bahhur #21
10. Floyd Self #3
11. Mark Leach #43
12. Nick Kniat #K0
13. Chris Raines #00
14. Zach Shannon #Z1
15. Travis Fultz #T0
16. James Parrott #10
17. Heath Alvey #7
18. Terry Poore #1
19. Josh Dietz #9
20. Clay Coghlan #6
21. Jaylon Shannon #22
22. Adam Mitchell #50

Did Not Start: David Bullington #20, Matt Tharp #122, Jake Whitehead #116, Joshua Sneed #79, Andy Wilder #24

MODIFIED STREET (20 laps)

1. Michael Woods #14
2. Gary Blanken #05
3. Kurt Owens #14
4. Brandon Ramsey #21
5. Chad McLemore #EZ1
6. Jason Rawlings #01
7. Glenn Floyd #73
8. McKenlee Hall #44
9. Wayne Rader #01
10. Josh Driskill #D00
11. Charlie Bates #27
12. Shannon Emery #M2
13. Chris Hickman #7

CLASSIC (20 laps)

1. John Stevens #7
2. Tim Stevens #19
3. Jesse Hickman #69
4. Chris Worsham #78
5. Nicholas King #66
6. Michael Millsap #22
7. Russell Hefti #0
8. Clyde Mincey #14M
9. Lee Merritt #14
10. Jacob Taylor #0
11. Shane Taylor #37
12. Quincy Arnwine #1
13. Chris Turner #58
14. Josh Chesney #XXX
15. Tim Bounds #11
16. Rusty Welch #1W

Did Not Start: Tony Reed #9

Volunteer Speedway (Recording Only): 423-235-5020  www.VolunteerSpeedway.com
Volunteer Speedway (General Manager): 865-257-7223
Joe Byrd (Tech Official): 865-776-1798