Riley Hickman Rolls to Deep Fried 75 Payday at Duck River Raceway Park
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Riley Hickman Rolls to Deep Fried 75 Payday at Duck River Raceway Park
By Michael Despain
Southern Nationals Bonus Series
WHEEL, TN (November 14-15, 2014)- The Southern Nationals Bonus Series closed out its 2014 racing season on Friday and Saturday at Duck River Raceway Park with the 3rd Annual Deep Fried 75 and Riley Hickman of Chattanooga, TN would drive to the biggest win of his career by claiming the winning $11,000 payday during an unseasonable cool weekend of racing action that saw events halted on Friday evening due to icy track conditions after Southern Nationals Bonus Series time trials were completed, forcing a full program of racing competition on Saturday.
The victory by Hickman made him the ninth different driver to win in ten series events for 2014 at an event that drew 33 entries representing twelve states. Hickman’s winning performance came behind the wheel of his Hickman Manufacturing/American Billet/Austin Trucking/VP Race Fuels/Rick Hixson Fabrication/Competition Race Products sponsored #R1 CVR Race Car sporting a Vic Hill Race Engine beneath the hood.
Riley Hickman would take the lead at the start of the 3rd Annual Deep Fried 75, with Ray Cook and Dale McDowell giving chase. Hickman would inch away from Cook and McDowell, who would trade slide-jobs on lap 5 before McDowell wrestled second away from Cook on lap 9. The first caution flew on lap 11 when sixth place running Dennis Erb, Jr. slowed on the frontchute with a broken timing-chain in the engine of his machine. Back underway, Hickman held the point, with McDowell and Cook in pursuit, while Steve Casebolt challenged Josh Putnam for fourth and claimed the position on lap 13. Debris from Michael Chilton’s car would slow the pace again on lap 16 and Chilton would pull to the pit area, done for the night. The restart would again see Hickman, McDowell, and Cook in the top three spots, while Putnam would roll back around Casebolt on lap 18, with Bub McCool making his way into the top five with a pass on Casebolt one circuit later. Putnam would close in on Cook and take the third position from Cook on lap 22, while McCool would shuffle Cook back to fifth on lap 23.
The third caution of the race waved on lap 27 as disaster struck McCool when he looped his mount in turn four while running fourth. The restart saw McDowell pressure Hickman for the lead, while Casebolt snatched the third spot away from Putnam on lap 28, with Anthony Burroughs sneaking through as well and moving Putnam back to fifth. Caution waved again at this point when Scott Cook and Joe Denby tangled in two one, with both drivers able to continue. The restart would also see the caution fly again when Greg Johnson spun in turn one. Action would return to the green flag and Hickman would pull away a bit from McDowell, who was beginning to get pressure from Casebolt. Hickman would start the process of working slower traffic on lap 39 and this process would become tricky for Hickman as the racing groove had began to narrow up at this point.
Caution slowed the action again on lap 51 when McCool’s entry slowed entering turn one and was pushed off the racing surface. The restart would see Hickman again scoot away, while Casebolt and McDowell dueled for the second position, with McDowell winning the battle finally on lap 54. Hickman’s masterful performance would be slowed by one final caution on lap 63 when Denby looped his unit in turn one. The restart would give Hickman clear track and allow him to motor away from the field to score his biggest career victory to date. McDowell and Casebolt would complete the podium positions, with defending event winner Putnam and Burroughs completing the top five. Fourteenth place starter Austin Smith would head up the second five at the checkered flag, followed by Cook, Tanner English, 21st place starter Donald McIntosh, and 18th place starting Brian Dively.
This event concluded the 2014 racing season for the Southern Nationals Bonus Series. For more information concerning the Southern Nationals Bonus Series, please contact series race director Chris Tilley at (606) 219-1723 or via social media at www.SouthernNationalsSeries.com.
Official Summary of Results
Southern Nationals Bonus Series Race # 10
Duck River Raceway Park-Wheel, TN
November 14-15, 2014
3rd Annual Deep Fried 75 A-Main Finish:
1. Riley Hickman (Chattanooga, TN)
2. Dale McDowell (Chickamauga, GA)
3. Steve Casebolt (Richmond, IN)
4. Josh Putnam (Florence, AL)
5. Anthony Burroughs (Minden, LA)
6. Austin Smith (Cedartown, GA)
7. Ray Cook (Brasstown, NC)
8. Tanner English (Benton, KY)
9. Donald McIntosh (Dawsonville, GA)
10. Brian Dively (Springfield, IL)
11. Kenny Collins (Colbert, GA)
12. Greg Johnson (Bedford, IN)
13. Brad Skinner (Spring Hill, TN)
14. Joe Denby (Tullahoma, TN)
15. Bub McCool (Vicksburg, MS)
16. Scott Cook (Shelbyville, TN)
17. Allen Murray (San Antonio, TX)
18. Daniel Miller (Lynchburg, TN)
19. Clint Nichols (Shelbyville, TN)
20. Matthew Summers (Estill Springs, TN)
21. Michael Chilton (Salvisa, KY)
22. David Seibers (Petersburg, TN)
23. Dennis Erb, Jr. (Carpentersville, IL)
24. David Gentry (Murfreesboro, TN)
Yellow Flags: 7 (Lap 11, 16, 27, 28, 28 restart, 51, 63)
Red Flags: None
Lap Leaders: 1 (Riley Hickman 1-75)
Provisional Starters: None
Entries: 33
FK Rod Ends Fastest Qualifier: Riley Hickman 13.158
B-Main #1 (15 laps-top 4 transfer)- Greg Johnson, David Gentry, Donald McIntosh, David Seibers, Donald Johns, Mark Fields, Gary Christian, Mark Rose (DNS- Mark Haddon)
B-Main #2 (15 laps-top 4 transfer)- Brian Dively, Matthew Summers, Daniel Miller, Joe Denby, Richard Frost, Howard Means, Wesley Shelton, (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)ey Michael
Heat #1(12 laps-top 4 transfer)- Ray Cook, Dennis Erb, Jr., Bub McCool, Allen Murray, Greg Johnson, David Seibers, Mark Fields, Mark Haddon, Mark Rose
Heat #2 (12 laps-top 4 transfer)- Josh Putnam, Anthony Burroughs, Michael Chilton, Clint Nichols, Matthew Summers, Daniel Miller, Howard Means, Richard Frost
Heat #3 (12 laps-top 4 transfer)- Riley Hickman, Steve Casebolt, Tanner English, Austin Smith, David Gentry, Donald McIntosh, Donald Johns, Gary Christian
Heat #4 (12 laps-top 4 transfer)- Dale McDowell, Scott Cook, Brad Skinner, Kenny Collins, Brian Dively, Joe Denby, Wesley Shelton, (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)ey Michael
Southern Nationals Bonus Series/Race Winners:
March 1-Jason Hiett (Cherokee Speedway) $3,000
March 2-Jonathan Davenport (Cherokee Speedway) $10,000
May 25-Mike Marlar (Duck River Raceway Park) $5,000
July 4-Casey Roberts (Tri-County Race Track) $3,000
July 5-Ray Cook (Tazewell Speedway) $5,000
August 16- Chris Madden (Smoky Mountain Speedway) $5,010
October 3-Casey Roberts (Tri-County Race Track) $4,053
October 24-Chris Ferguson (Cherokee Speedway) $7,000
October 25-Scott Bloomquist (Cherokee Speedway) $10,000
November 14,15- Riley Hickman (Duck River Raceway Park) $11,000
FINAL Southern Nationals Bonus Series Points (after 10 events-11/15/2014):
1. Kenny Collins-1,560 (Colbert, GA)
2. Austin Smith- 1,418 (Cedartown, GA)
3. Casey Roberts-1,348 (Toccoa, GA.)
4. Chris Madden-770 (Gray Court, SC)
5. Brent Dixon-746 (Elberton, GA)
6. Donald McIntosh- 740 (Dawsonville, GA)
7. Gabe Wilson-710 (Waynesville, NC)
8. Dale Hammond-690 (Nichols, SC)
9. Kevin Wilson-688 (Stoneville, NC)
10. Anthony Sanders-652 (Spartanburg, SC)
