3rd Annual Groundhog Classic
East Alabama Motor Speedway Groundhog Classic Goes to Cory Hedgecock
Phenix City,AL – Cory Hedgecock used a power move around the top side of the East Alabama Motor Speedway from his 7th starting position to pick up the 3rd Annual Groundhog Classic at the Phenix City, AL oval. Hedgecock piloted his #23 Eagle Racing Engines/Cushman sponsored Rocket Race Car to Victory Lane taking the $2,500 payday back to his hometown of Loudon, TN. Hedgecock’s win was the first for the 2017 season with the NeSmith Dirt Late Model Series during the RockAuto.com Winter Shootout Series. Hedgecock is the defending NeSmith Dirt Late Model Series National Champion and plans to return and defend his title in 2017.
2016 RockAuto.com Winter Shootout Champion Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL brought home his Edge’s Gas Company sponsored machine in the second position in his first event of the 2017 season. 16-year old Ashton Winger finished a strong 3rd after sitting on the outside front row. “Big Sky” Montana Dudley was 4th at the end and Talbott, TN Forrest Trent went under the Sunoco Race Fuels checkered flag to round out the top 5.
Preliminary action got underway with Chevrolet Performance Pole Qualifying which would lock the top 6 overall qualifiers into the 50-lap Groundhog Classic Feature event. 14-year old Sunoco Race Fuels Young Gun, and current 2nd place in RockAuto.com Winter Shootout Series points, Colton Horner would put his #56jr Houston Specialty Products/Modern Motorsports on the pole for the feature with a 16.057 second lap making for a front row of Young Gun racers to lead the field to green flag.
Action was slowed for 8 caution periods for mostly minor incidents. Lap 2 was the first caution period for the #5 of Rodgerick Dykes when his car received damage from contact and was unable to continue. Lap 10 and 13 were for single car spins. The field was slowed twice on lap 22 for the 66K of Dylan Knowles who spun off the back straigtaway, and then for the 5 of Ronnie Johnson who spun after contact with the 56jr. Ryan Law spun his machine off the top of turn 3 and 4 on lap 25. Lain Hawk went for a spin in the bottom of turn 2 on lap 32. The caution lights were lit for the final time on lap 34 when Trey Wood’s #19 came to a stop at the top of turn 1 with mechanical woes.
The NeSmith Dirt Late Model Series takes a short break before returning to action with rounds 6 and 7 of the RockAuto.com Winter Shootout Series. The series heads to Chris Martin’s Cochran Motor Speedway for a HUGE double header weekend on Friday and Saturday March 10th and 11th. Friday March 10th will pay $2,000 to win, and Saturday March 11th will feature a $5,000 to win, 60 lap main event. For more information about Cochran Motor Speedway visit their official website at www.cochranspeedway.com.
For more information about the NeSmith Dirt Late Model Series, please visit the official website at www.nesmithracing.com.
You can also follow NeSmith Racing on all of your favorite social media outlets as well:
Facebook – NeSmith Racing
Twitter – @NeSmithRacing
Instagram – nesmithracing
Pos |
Car # |
Driver Name |
Hometwon |
1 |
23 |
Cory Hedgecock |
Loudon, TN |
2 |
18 |
Chase Edge |
Lafayette, AL |
3 |
12 |
Ashton Winger |
Senoia, GA |
4 |
55 |
Montana Dudley |
Phenix City, AL |
5 |
101 |
Forrest Trent |
Talbott, TN |
6 |
5 |
Ronnie Johnson |
Chattanooga, TN |
7 |
14 |
Wil Herington – T |
Cochran, GA |
8 |
4 |
Joe Mike |
Mayfield, KY |
9 |
66 |
Jody Knowles |
Tyrone, GA |
10 |
21 |
Cale Conley |
Vienna, WVA |
11 |
56JR |
Colton Horner |
Katy, TX |
12 |
6 |
Brandon Hood |
Ft. Deposit, AL |
13 |
11 |
Ryan Law |
Centre, AL |
14 |
91 |
Colby Darda |
LaGrange, GA |
15 |
44 |
Lain Hawk |
Weaver, AL |
16 |
66K |
Dylan Knowles |
Lanett, AL |
17 |
19 |
Trey Wood |
Newnan, GA |
18 |
5 |
Rodgerick Dykes |
Smiths Station, AL |
19 |
79 |
Kyle Bryant |
Navarre, FL |
20 |
89 |
Randall Powell – T |
Oxford, GA |
21 |
15 |
Jason Britton |
Alexander City, AL |
22 |
23 |
Ahnna Parkhurst |
Evans, GA |
Entries: 22
Fast Qualifier: Colton Horner – 16.057
Provisionals: None
Lead Changes: 2
Lap Leaders: Winger – 1-5, Hedgecock – 6-50
Cautions: 8
Margin of Victory: 0.876 seconds
Time of Race: 39 minutes, 33 seconds
NEXT RACE: March 10th and 11th – Cochran Motor Speedway – $2,000 to win March 10th and $5,000 to win March 11th
Qualifying Results
POS |
Car # |
Driver Name |
Time |
1 |
56JR |
Colton Horner |
16.057 |
2 |
12 |
Ashton Winger |
16.099 |
3 |
101 |
Forrest Trent |
16.122 |
4 |
18 |
Chase Edge |
16.142 |
5 |
5 |
Ronnie Johnson |
16.161 |
6 |
55 |
Montana Dudley |
16.164 |
7 |
5 |
Rodgerick Dykes |
16.329 |
8 |
66 |
Jody Knowles |
16.369 |
9 |
23 |
Cory Hedgecock |
16.675 |
10 |
14 |
Wil Herington – T |
16.681 |
11 |
19 |
Trey Wood |
16.724 |
12 |
66K |
Dylan Knowles |
16.741 |
13 |
4 |
Joe Mike |
16.806 |
14 |
89 |
Randall Powell – T |
16.846 |
15 |
15 |
Jason Britton |
16.866 |
16 |
79 |
Kyle Bryant |
17.045 |
17 |
91 |
Colby Darda |
17.072 |
18 |
11 |
Ryan Law |
17.099 |
19 |
44 |
Lain Hawk |
17.287 |
20 |
21 |
Cale Conley |
17.302 |
21 |
6 |
Brandon Hood |
17.339 |
22 |
23 |
Ahnna Parkhurst |
NT |
EAMS Late Model | |
01 | #92 Joseph Brown |
02 | #5T Thomas Lewis |
03 | #55 Montana Dudley |
04 | #1D Dalton Cook |
05 | #47 Tyler Crowder |
06 | #79 Jimmy Price |
07 | #5B Brand Lewis |
08 | #115 Dustin Elliott |
09 | #50 Steven Gaines |
10 | #7 John Anderson |
11 | #99 Shun Thomas |
12 | #44 Shane Holder |
13 | #K9 Dana Eiland |
14 | #7 Tyler Thomason |
15 | #110 Ricky Culpepper |
602 Late Model | |
01 | #6 Donovan Singer |
02 | #25W Wiley McDaniel, Jr. |
03 | #23 Ahnna Parkhurst |
04 | #22D Danny Stroud |
05 | #17 Kevin Bennett |
06 | #42 Jake Traylor |
07 | #10 Andrew Bailey |
08 | #P7 Matt Steward |
09 | #99 Matt Thompson |
10 | #49 Wesley Robertson |
11 | #29 Craig Ussery |
12 | #J3 JJ Hood |
13 | #03 Dustin Cobb |
14 | #6 Jackson Thomason |
15 | #45 Shane Holder |
16 | #X39 Richard Goode |
17 | #19 Josh Cox |
18 | #53 Ronnie Hudson |
Hobby | |
01 | #17 Jason Price |
02 | #21 Corey Dunn |
03 | #1 Ben Steele |
04 | #31 Richie Grantham |
05 | #0 Blake Harmon |
06 | #92 Danny Earl Warren |
07 | #02J Michael Couch |
08 | #57 Jonathan Morris |
09 | #22 John Rodgers, Jr. |
DNS | #99 Chance Renfroe |
Street Stock | |
01 | #07 Steven Pate |
02 | #4 Tyler Brown |
03 | #3 Larry Faulk |
04 | #69 Jason Harrison |
05 | #2 Brian Hansford |
06 | #29 Derrick “Duck” Pierce |
07 | #55 Zack Lee |
08 | #83JR Trenton Pijnenburg |
DNS | #02 Al Walker |
Road Warrior | |
01 | #999 Chandler Diem |
02 | #16 Robert Price |
03 | #17 Bo Robinson |
04 | #41 Wesley Burke |
05 | #113 Josh Childers |
06 | #3 Wes Chavez |
07 | #74 Tyler Hamrick |
08 | #9 TJ Bealey |
09 | #117 John Burke |
10 | #T2 Daniel Raimondi |
11 | #1 Austin McCarn |
12 | #27 Bill Arnett |
13 | #G14 Timothy Goforth |
Hot Shots | |
01 | #5J Jonathan Merritt |
02 | #5M Terry Merritt |
03 | #1 Lee Hutchinson |
04 | #8 Victoria Purcell |
05 | #2 Patrick Harrelson |
06 | #21 Mac Watson |
07 | #96 Willie getit |
08 | #5 Morgan Pittman |
09 | #J38 Jayce Swint |
10 | #27 Kyle Welch |
11 | #17 Josh Napier |
12 | #10G Rodney Gorman |
13 | #21 Hobo Bosley |
14 | #11 Corey Elliott |
15 | #24 Jason Newsome |
16 | #42 David Newsome |
17 | #32 TJ Sanders |
18 | #88 Stan Narrison |
19 | #4 Robert Hutchinson |