Sam Mayer tastes Hickory Motor Speedway Victory in Split with Watson

(Newton, NC - July 30^th, 2018)    The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series hit the famed 3/8 mile oval at Hickory Motor Speedway once again on Saturday night as engines roared across the Catawba Valley on Sam’s Club Night at the Races!

With Twin 40 lap features on hand the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models would be the first to pound the pavement for race number one. Sam Mayer in the #9M would pace qualifying and take the pole with Charlie Watson in the #9W on his outside. Row two would be made up by Annabeth Barnes-Crum in the #12 and Mitch Walker in the #29. Mayer and Watson would battle side by side for the first handful of laps. Mayer would finally nose ahead with Watson close behind. Lap 14 would see the caution fly as Jonathan Findley would have mechanical problems in his #4. As the race restarted Mayer and Watson would once again battle furiously for the top spot. Contact on lap 15 between the leaders would send Watson spinning and bring out the caution. The restart would see Mayer pressured for the lead by the #28 of Chris Hudspeth. The battle would rage for the next 10 laps until Mayer could nose ahead. Mayer would hang on and drive to the victory in his JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Hudspeth would come home in 2nd with Barnes-Crum finishing 3rd. Cole Glasson in the #5 would finish 4th with Watson bouncing back to grab a top 5 in 5th.

Next up would see the Carolina Custom Golf Cars 4-Cylinders hit the track for 25 laps. The #25 of Dennis Ward would lead qualifying and start from the top spot with Brian Mundy in the #6 to his outside. The front pair would battle side by side until Ward would nose ahead. Caution on lap 6 would see the #11 of Robert Trivette hard into the outside wall after contact with the #29 of Allison Houston. While Robert Trivette would end his night on the wrecker Houston would be able to rejoin the field. Lap 13 would see Mundy get around Ward for the lead. Mundy would keep the lead for the remainder of the race and drive on to the win with Ward finishing 2nd. Dennis Trivette in the #28 would finish 3rd, Cody Combs in the #9 would finish 4th, and Allison Houston in the #29 would round out the top five in 5th.

The always exciting One Design Super Trucks would hit the track next for 35 laps of paint swapping action. Charlie Neill in the #26 would turn the hot lap in qualifying and start from the front with Allen Huffman in the #51 second fastest starting from his outside. Neill and Huffman would race hard, but see the caution fly on lap 1. The restart would bunch the field for a side by side restart. As the field would complete lap 2 contact between Sheflon Clay in the #15 and Joey Shuryan in the #30 would send Clay hard into the outside front stretch wall. The ensuing restart would see Neill get a good start while Huffman would battle side by side with Sawyer Frady in the #99 for second. Lap 18 would see a pop up shower that would put a damper on track activities. After track drying was complete, the restart would see Neill pull to the lead with Dakota Slagle in the #13 charging his way to make a run at the leader. Slagle would battle to the inside of Neill but would spin with only 10 laps to go. Neill would move ahead on the restart and hold on for the win. Huffman would finish 2nd with Slagle finishing 3rd. Sawyer Frady in the #99 would finish 4th and Josh Stark in the #39 would bring home a top 5 with a 5th place finish.

Round #8 of the Paramount Kia ‘Big 10’ Chase for the Championship for the Paramount Auto Group Limited Late Models would roll off next for 50 laps of battle. Vince Midas in the #14 would pace qualifying and start from the pole with Gage Painter in the #12 to his outside. Painter would take the early lead as Midas would drop in behind in second. Points leader Pat Rachels in the #34 would look to work his way through the field. Contact between Rachels and the #12 of Mason Ludwig would bring out the first caution. Both drivers would be able to continue. On the restart Midas would be pressured by Brandon Lemke in the #22 and the pair would battle side by side until contact would send Lemke spinning and both cars to pit road for service under the caution. The next restart would see the field bunched once again as Painter would get the better restart and drive to the lead. The caution flag would fly early and often in the 50 lap feature and keep the field close together. Painter would fight off multiple challenges and drive on to his third win of the year. Taylor Gray in the #15 would drive on to 2nd while Dylon Wilson in the #4 would finish 3rd. Rachels would bounce back to finish 4th with Lemke also coming back from early problems to finish 5th.

The Cosmo Motors Street Stocks would hit the track next for a 30 lap skirmish. Jonathon Smith in the #16 would take the pole position and start from the point with the #77 of Mark Whitten to his outside. Whitten would nose ahead and lead for the first five laps but Smith would come roaring back and regain the lead. Troy DeMarmels in the #18 would follow Smith through and give chase for the lead. The pair would put on a thrilling side by side battle for the final five laps with Smith taking the win by a nose. DeMarmels would take 2nd with Kevin Eby in the #03 finishing 3rd. Marshall Sutton in the #64 would finish 4th and Whitten would round out the top five in 5th.

The Renegades would hit the track next for 20 laps of action. Kenneth Roberts in the #8 would pace qualifying and take the pole position with the #83 of David Hasson to his outside. Roberts and Hasson would put on a spirited battle for the top spot for several laps. Roberts would take the spot until Hasson would work his way around for the lead. Hasson would hold the spot for the rest of the race and grab the win on the night. Roberts would get by Justin Austin in the #1 on the final turn to finish 2nd. Austin would finish 3rd, Robert DiVanna in the #71 would finish 4^th, and Brian Larkin in the #7 would finish 5^th.

Rounding out the night’s festivities would see the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models hit the track for 40 more laps in the nightcap of their doubleheader. After the invert from the finishing order of the first event Evan Swilling in the #18 would start from the point with the #88 of Jagger Jones to his outside. Jacob Heafner in the #95 and Charlie Watson in the #9W would make up row two. Swilling and Jones would run side by side for the first lap but Heafner would press the issue early and take the leaders three wide. Jones would benefit from the skirmish and head to the lead. Lap 6 would see a hard crash that would include Swilling, Chris Denny in the #2, Jonathan Findley in the #4, and first race winner Sam Mayer in the #9 hard in the backstretch outside wall. Everyone would walk away from the crash but their cars fared much worse. The #5 of Cole Glasson had just completed a pass for second and didn’t appear to be involved in the incident but would have to retire with mechanical failure. The restart would see Jones and Watson go side by side till the end of the backstretch when Jones would nose ahead. But as soon as Jones had taken the lead Watson would make the crossover move coming off of turn 4 and nose ahead for the lead. Watson would turn consistent laps and build a generous lead as Jones would be challenged by Annabeth Barnes-Crum in the #12, Heafner, and Chris Hudspeth in the #28. Hudspeth would prevail out of the pack and give chase to Watson for the top spot while Barnes-Crum and Heafner would mix it up for 3^rd. Watson’s lead would prove too much as he would drive on to the checkered flag and another Hickory Motor Speedway victory. Hudspeth, coming off of his first Hickory Motor Speedway victory on July 14^th, would equal his first race performance with 2^nd place. Heafner would nose ahead for 3^rd, Barnes-Crum would take 4^th, and Jones would finish 5^th.

Next week, August 3-4, will see the CARS Tour invade America’s Most Famous Short Track for the Throwback 276 Late Model and Super Late Model shows and also a special Friday evening event for the Paramount Auto Group Limited Late Models, Pit Crew Contest, and front stretch concert.

In two weeks, August 11, the Bandit Big Rig Series makes up their early season rainout with the thrilling return of Big Rig racing.

For more info check us out at www.hickorymotorspeedway.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hickory Motor Speedway
Race Results for 7/28/2018
4-Cylinders - Feature
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	6M	Brian  Mundy	Concord, NC
2	25	Dennis Ward	Hickory, NC
3	28T	Dennis Trivette	Newton, NC
4	9	Cody Combs	Lenoir, NC
5	29H	Allison Houston	Conover, NC
6	17K	Nathaniel Kanupp	Hildebran, NC
7	11	Robert Trivette	Newton, NC
4-Cylinders - Qualifying
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	25	Dennis Ward	Hickory, NC
2	6M	Brian  Mundy	Concord, NC
3	17K	Nathaniel Kanupp	Hildebran, NC
4	9	Cody Combs	Lenoir, NC
5	29H	Allison Houston	Conover, NC
6	28T	Dennis Trivette	Newton, NC	DQ
7	11	Robert Trivette	Newton, NC	DNS
Late Model - Qualifying
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	9M	Sam Mayer	Franklin, WI
2	9W	Charlie Watson	Lenoir, NC
3	12B	Annabeth Barnes Crum	Hiddenite, NC
4	29M	Mitch Walker	Newton, NC
5	5G	Cole Glasson	Rockwall, TX
6	28H	Chris Hudspeth	Ronda, NC
7	88X	Jagger Jones	,
8	18S	Evan Swilling	Cohutta, GA
9	95H	Jacob Heafner	Dallas, NC
10	2Z	Chris Denny	Timberlake, nc
11	4F	Jonathan Findley	Bristow, VA
12	1T	Thomas Beane	Hudson, NC	DNS
Late Model - Twin I
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	9M	Sam Mayer	Franklin, WI
2	28H	Chris Hudspeth	Ronda, NC
3	12B	Annabeth Barnes Crum	Hiddenite, NC
4	5G	Cole Glasson	Rockwall, TX
5	9W	Charlie Watson	Lenoir, NC
6	95H	Jacob Heafner	Dallas, NC
7	88X	Jagger Jones	,
8	18S	Evan Swilling	Cohutta, GA
9	4F	Jonathan Findley	Bristow, VA
10	29M	Mitch Walker	Newton, NC
11	2Z	Chris Denny	Timberlake, nc
12	1T	Thomas Beane	Hudson, NC
Late Model - Twin II
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	9W	Charlie Watson	Lenoir, NC
2	28H	Chris Hudspeth	Ronda, NC
3	95H	Jacob Heafner	Dallas, NC
4	12B	Annabeth Barnes Crum	Hiddenite, NC
5	88X	Jagger Jones	,
6	5G	Cole Glasson	Rockwall, TX
7	18S	Evan Swilling	Cohutta, GA
8	9M	Sam Mayer	Franklin, WI
9	2Z	Chris Denny	Timberlake, nc
10	4F	Jonathan Findley	Bristow, VA
11	1T	Thomas Beane	Hudson, NC
12	29M	Mitch Walker	Newton, NC	DNS
Limited Late Model - Paramount Race
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	12P	Gage Painter	Statesville, NC
2	15G	Taylor Gray	Mooresville, NC
3	4W	Dylon Wilson	Taylorsville, NC
4	34	Pat Rachels	China Grove, NC
5	22L	Brandon Lemke	Eagle, WI
6	12L	Mason Ludwig	N. Branch, MI
7	57	Carter Davison	Elizabethton, TN
8	14	Vince Midas	Catawba, NC
9	71	Nathan Lineback	,
10	13	Chase Ratliff	Bristol, VA
11	19C	Jessica Cann	,
12	1P	Brody Pope	Harrisonville, NC
13	47J	Chase Janes	Harrisburg, NC
14	7	Holden German	York, NC
15	00H	Andy Holt	Greensboro, NC
16	18D	Cody DeMarmels	Newton, NC
17	44	Josh Kossek	Tobaccoville, NC
18	9C	Spencer Childers	Pisgah Forest, NC
Limited Late Model - Qualifying
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	14	Vince Midas	Catawba, NC
2	12P	Gage Painter	Statesville, NC
3	15G	Taylor Gray	Mooresville, NC
4	22L	Brandon Lemke	Eagle, WI
5	4W	Dylon Wilson	Taylorsville, NC
6	1P	Brody Pope	Harrisonville, NC
7	12L	Mason Ludwig	N. Branch, MI
8	34	Pat Rachels	China Grove, NC
9	44	Josh Kossek	Tobaccoville, NC
10	13	Chase Ratliff	Bristol, VA
11	47J	Chase Janes	Harrisburg, NC
12	57	Carter Davison	Elizabethton, TN
13	9C	Spencer Childers	Pisgah Forest, NC
14	71	Nathan Lineback	,
15	7	Holden German	York, NC
16	00H	Andy Holt	Greensboro, NC
17	19C	Jessica Cann	,
18	18D	Cody DeMarmels	Newton, NC	DNS
Renegades - Feature
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	83	David Hasson	Newton, NC
2	8	Kenneth Roberts	Hickory, NC
3	1	Justin Austin	Granite Falls, NC
4	71D	Robert Divanna	Statesville, NC
5	7	Brian Larkin	Icard, NC
6	4H	Joseph Hodges	,
7	68	Steve Griffith	Morganton, NC
8	51	Robbie Hollifield	Morganton, NC
Renegades - Qualifying
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	8	Kenneth Roberts	Hickory, NC
2	83	David Hasson	Newton, NC
3	1	Justin Austin	Granite Falls, NC
4	51	Robbie Hollifield	Morganton, NC
5	71D	Robert Divanna	Statesville, NC
6	7	Brian Larkin	Icard, NC
7	68	Steve Griffith	Morganton, NC
8	4H	Joseph Hodges	,
Street Stocks - Feature
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	16S	Jonathon Smith	Hudson, NC
2	18	Troy DeMarmels	Newton, NC
3	3	Kevin Eby	Lenior, NC
4	64	Marshall Sutton	Burnsville, NC
5	77P	Mark Whitten	Hogtown, VA
6	69	Trey Buff	Hickory, NC
7	74B	Jared Broadbent	Spruce Pine, NC
Street Stocks - Qualifying
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	16S	Jonathon Smith	Hudson, NC
2	77P	Mark Whitten	Hogtown, VA
3	18	Troy DeMarmels	Newton, NC
4	69	Trey Buff	Hickory, NC
5	3	Kevin Eby	Lenior, NC
6	74B	Jared Broadbent	Spruce Pine, NC
7	64	Marshall Sutton	Burnsville, NC
Super Trucks - Feature
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	26	Charlie Neill	Hickory, NC
2	51	Allen Huffman	Hickory, NC
3	13	Dakota Slagle	Asheville, NC
4	99F	Sawyer Frady	Mills River, NC
5	39	Josh Stark	Troutman, NC
6	30	Joey Shuryan	Dearborn, MI
7	15C	Sheflon Clay	Asheville, NC
Super Trucks - Qualifying
Finish	Car No	Driver	Hometown	DQ/DNS/DNF
1	26	Charlie Neill	Hickory, NC
2	51	Allen Huffman	Hickory, NC
3	30	Joey Shuryan	Dearborn, MI
4	15C	Sheflon Clay	Asheville, NC
5	99F	Sawyer Frady	Mills River, NC
6	13	Dakota Slagle	Asheville, NC
7	39	Josh Stark	Troutman, NC