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Area Sports Briefs: Asheboro golfer contends; Caraway Speedway set to resume

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Asheboro man contends in Four-Ball event

WILSON – An Asheboro golfer was among the contenders in the North Carolina Super Senior Four-Ball Championships last month.

Charlie Parks of Asheboro and playing partner Doug Owens of Albemarle placed third in the 65-and-older division at Wilson Country Club.

Parks and Owens had rounds 71 and 67 for a two-round total of 6-under-par 138.

That left them a shot behind the tandems of Surf City’s Gary Howze / Claremont’s Randall Sullins and Morrisville’s Preston Edmondson / Pinehurst’s Steve Fox among the 28 teams in the division.

Edmondson and Fox claimed the championship on the second playoff hole.

Caraway set to resume racing this weekend

SOPHIA – After a weekend off for the Easter holiday, racing resumes at Caraway Speedway with Saturday night’s card.

It’s Chatham County Night and Moore County Night at the speedway. Residents of those counties will be admitted for $8.

Racing is slated for the speedway’s regular division in addition to Southern Ground Pounders Vintage racing club.

Jason York after April 1 2023 win at Caraway

York, Dalton split wins in Late Models

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Jason York holds the checkered flag after winning one of the Late Models features Saturday night at Caraway Speedway. (Courtesy photo)

SOPHIA – Two-time Caraway Speedway champion Jason York of Reidsville led the entire race to win the first of two 35-lap features in the Late Models division Saturday night at the track.

York was the fastest qualifier.

Boo Boo Dalton of Liberty ended up the sixth-place spot in the first Late Models feature, but he was in first place in the division’s second race. York was second in that race.

Dalton was the second-fastest qualifier and won the division’s first race of the year.

Brian Rose was second in the first feature and third in the second race.

In Modifieds, Mitchell Wright was the winner of the first 20-lapper and Billy Gregg gained the checkered flag in the second feature.

In Challengers, Enoch McNeill won both 20-lap races. Kyler Kepley led for 14 laps in the second race, but McNeill eventually moved up from the sixth position.

In Legends cars, London McKenzie prevailed in the first 25-lap competition.

In UCARs, Daniel Hughes and Steven Collins were winners of 10-lap features. Collins was runner-up in the division’s first race of the night.

In the 10-lap Bootleggers, Jon Morton won a pair of races. There were two 10-lap events in Caraway Stocks, with Tommy Raino winning both of those.

In Bandoleros, Bryson Brinkley was the winner across 20 laps.

The next night of racing in regular division at the speedway comes April 15. Plus, Southern Ground Pounders also will be part of the card.

Caraway Speedway driver Brandon Ward March2023

Ward secures victory in SMART Modified Tour at Caraway Speedway

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Brandon Ward ended up with the trophy after the SMART Modified Tour feature Saturday night at Caraway Speedway. (Photo courtesy of Caraway Speedway)

SOPHIA – Brandon Ward of Winston-Salem bumped his way past Joey Coulter with eight laps remaining to take the victory in the Warrior 100, an event that was part of SMART Modified Tour, on Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.

Bobby Measmer Jr. placed third, followed by Jonathan Brown and Zach Brewer. Former NASCAR Cup Series standout Bobby Labonte placed 11th.

Measmer led qualifying with a lap at 16.171 seconds but the top-eight redraw put Tim Brown and Burt Myers on the front row.

In other open wheel action, Jeremy Gerstner stepped into the seat of the second Lowder Racing 602 Modified and took the measure of the field in the 40-lapper. Gerstner slipped past Justice Calabro on lap 25 and held off Jaxson Casper. Calabro took third.

In Mini Stocks, A.J. Sanders showed up late for practice but returned to his winning ways after 40 laps. Tyler Bush led the first four laps before Chuck Wall took over the top spot for four laps.

In the Challenger feature, Allen Vance made short work of the field while claiming his second win in as many weeks in the 40-lap race. Brodie Duggins notched his best Caraway Speedway finish in the runner-up slot.

In UCARs, Steven Collins fended off Ron Mock to take his second victory of 2023 with a wire-to-wire effort in the 15-lap race.

In Bootleggers, Jon Morton made it two victories in a row.

This Saturday, all regular divisions at the speedway will have twin features, including two 35-lappers for Late Models.

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Dalton drives to victory in Caraway opener

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SOPHIA – Ross “Boo Boo” Dalton of Liberty won the 100-lap feature for the Late Models division at Caraway Speedway on Sunday afternoon in the 58th season-opening event.

After past weather-related postponements, the track’s first event of the season was skated to consist of a total of 270 laps of racing.

Dalton survived a skirmish with Blaise Brinkley late in the feature to finish ahead of Jason York and Toby Lane. Eric Wallace finished fourth ahead of Brian Rose and Camden Thomas.

Jaxson Casper captured the victory in the Modifieds feature. Rookie Justice Calabro, who was in his debut with GrayCo Performance Racing, finished second ahead of early race leader Cody Norman. Josh Lowder was the fast qualifier, but he finished in the pits and in 10th place.

In Challengers, Allen Vance started the season on a winning note. The runner-up was Anthony Bennett and third place went to D.J. Dean.

Steven Collins took the victory in UCARs ahead of Daniel Hughes.

In Bootleggers, Jon Morton was the winner and Steven Collins was the runner-up.

In Legends Car, Alex Meggs drove to the victory ahead of Conner Yonchuk.

In the Bandolero class, Bryson Brinkley was first and Alison Johnson took second.

For many drivers, it was the beginning of a hectic stretch near the start of the season.

For instance, Luke Baldwin was entered in the Modifieds that was the beginning of five races across two weeks for the Tommy Baldwin Racing team.

On Saturday night, the SMART Modified tour roars into Caraway Speedway for the Warrior 100. This will be the second 2023 race on the SMART circuit after last weekend’s weather-related postponement of the Lonesome Pine card in Coeburn, Va.

Also on the docket for Saturday is racing for Challengers, UCARs, Modifieds and Mini Stocks.

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Caraway set to begin with Dogwood 250

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SOPHIA – Caraway Speedway opens its 58th season of stock-car racing Sunday with the running of the Dogwood 250.

The Dogwood 250 will feature 100-lap features for the SMART Modified Tour and the speedway’s regular Late Models plus a 50-lapper for the 602 Modifieds. Legend cars and Bandoleros also are on the card. Racing is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.

The speedway used the Dogwood 250 name to honor the early spring events once held at Martinsville Speedway in the heyday of Modified and Late Model sportsman racing, according to information from the speedway.

Many of the SMART Modified Tour regulars will be on hand to compete for their season title. Tim Brown returns to Caraway Speedway in the Team 25 Racing seat vacated by Bobby Labonte’s move to Stanley-Sadler Racing.

2022 SMART champion Caleb Heady returns to defend his title. 2021 SMART champion Burt Myers and his brother Jason Myers should be entered. Matt Hirschman is expected to enter along with past Caraway winner Gary Putnam plus Spencer Davis, Michael Ritch and others.

2022 Caraway 602 Modified champion Carson Loftin is expected to be in action.

The speedway’s official 2023 season begins March 19 with racing in the track’s regular divisions – Late Models, Challengers, Modifieds, Stock 4s, UCARs, Bootleggers, Legends and Bandoleros. That also has a 2:30 p.m. start time.

Saturday night racing begins March 25.

Caraway driver Cory Rose

York nabs Late Models win in Caraway winter event

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Cory Rose was pumped up after winning Saturday’s Challengers race at Caraway Speedway. (Courtesy photo)

SOPHIA – Jason York pulled into the front spot when two other drivers couldn’t stay clear of trouble and he won the Late Models feature in Caraway Speedway’s Winter Heat on Saturday.

Coy Beard and Gary Causey were the front runners, but with two laps to go in the 75-lap race they bumped into each other and York emerged in the lead. York had the fastest qualifying time.

Chase Murphy was second, followed by Mason Ludwig, Lanie Bruce and Daniel Roberts.

The race event was postponed from late November because of weather concerns, turning it from a season-ending card to a kickoff for 2023 competition. Then it had been slated for Sunday, but was moved up a day because of rain in the forecast at the back end of the weekend.

In Challengers, Cory Rose was the winner in the 40-lap race, with Enoch McNeill in second and Tyler Johnson claiming third.

In Mini Stocks, A.J. Sanders was the winner in the 10-car field. Jonathan Brown was the runner-up as a fill-in for Adam Thomas. Chuck Wall had the best qualifying time, but engine troubles doomed him in the race.

There were 13 entrants in UCARs, with 2022 track champion Daniel Hughes capturing the victory in the 20-lap race. Fast qualifying Justin Smith placed second, with Ron Mock, Steven Collins and Jeremy Kidd rounding out the top five.

In Street Stocks, Brewster Baker was the winner. Kyle Lynch was next, followed by Mike Cooper, Larry Isenhour and Steven Sharp.

The official start of the track’s 2023 season comes March 12 with the Dogwood 250.

Caraway Awards banquet photo

Caraway recognizes 2022 champions, gears up for more

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Awards were presented Saturday night at Caraway Speedway.

SOPHIA – The top three drivers in each division were honored as part of Caraway Speedway’s awards banquet Saturday at the track.

In Late Models, Coy Beard guided the No. 27 car to the division championship for the second time in three years. He won four features. Tony Black was second and Donnie Apple placed third.

The Rookie of the Year in Late Models went to Jeffery Wood, who missed the last one-third of the season.

In Challengers, Brian Rose was the champion, aided by four victories. He held a 66-point edge on Matthew Smith, who was the division’s Rookie of the Year.

Smith had one victory and four top-five finishes on his way to one point more than third-place finisher Tommy Raino. Veteran driver Archie Adams Sr. was fourth.

In Modifieds, Carson Loftin secured the championship in the last points race of the season, edging Cody Norman. Loftin also was Rookie of the Year.

Loftin’s four-point margin came despite Norman’s five race victories. Jaxson Casper took third, winning once.

In Mini Stocks, Jimmy Crigger won four times on his way to the class championship. Rudy Hartley was the division’s runner-up, while Rookie of the Year Alex Higginson placed third.

In UCARs, Daniel Hughes claimed the division title, winning twice and placing second seven times. Teammate Corey Rose was second. Caleb Allred, the Rookie of the Year, was third.

The speedway will open its 2023 season of racing Jan. 29 with the Winter Heat 2023 with races in the following categories: Late Models (75 laps), Street Stocks (50), Challengers (40), Mini Stocks (40, UCARs (20) and Bootleggers (10).

This replaces what would have been the 2022 season-ending Thanksgiving Classic, which was called off because of weather concerns.

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Caraway moves holiday event to late January

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SOPHIA – The 36th edition of Caraway Speedway’s Thanksgiving Classic has been postponed for about two months.

Last Sunday’s version of the event was called off because of expected rainy weather.

So Russell Hackett’s Original Thanksgiving Classic has been moved to Jan. 29. Afternoon races will be scheduled for UCARs, Mini Stocks, Street Stocks, Late Models, Challengers, Bootleggers and Enduros.

“We are dealing with a special event with this race,” track owner Darren Hackett said. “Russell Hackett’s Thanksgiving Classic has been a staple of the Caraway Speedway schedule for 35 years and we don’t want to break the season-ending tradition of giving the racers who support us throughout the regular season, one last chance to race. With that said, we have decided to make that ‘last chance’ the ‘first chance’ for 2023. With so many tracks starting early, we decided to join the crowd and give our teams the chance to race early in the year,”

The speedway’s annual rules meetings and open practice already on the schedule remained as scheduled Saturday.

January kicks off with a “336 Meets” event Jan. 7. The Caraway Speedway awards banquet is set for Jan. 14 at the track.

Matt Hirschman wins North South in Nov2022

Hirschman wins again in North-South Shootout

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Matt Hirschman, right, celebrates another victory in the North-South Shootout. (Courtesy photo)

SOPHIA – Matt Hirschman added to his championship haul in the North-South Shootout.

Hirschman, a driver from Pennsylvania, became an eight-time winner of the 20-year event with Saturday’s victory at Caraway Speedway.

Burt Myers of Winston-Salem placed second, while fast qualifier Patrick Emerling, a New Yorker, was third. Emerling’s qualifying team was 15.919 seconds, edging Hirschman, Kyle Scisco, Caleb Heady and Brian Loftin.

Jimmy Blewett briefly led the 125-lap feature, while Myers held the front spot for 43 laps.

Following a caution that ended the race for Jeremy Gerstner, Spencer Davis merged in the front.

By the 50th lap, Hirschman was in the lead.

A nine-car crash on the 98th lap created the need for another restart. Despite pressure from Jimmy Blewett and a late challenge from Myers, Hirschman maintained the front position.

Hirschman collected the $7,500 top price for bonus earnings for total winnings of $10,900.

Heady ended up fourth and Ronnie Williams was sixth. The next five consisted of Blewett, Davis, Doug Coby, Gary Putnam, Jason Myers and Joey Payne. Coby, a Connecticut driver, was in his first race at Caraway Speedway.

In the 602 Modifieds, pole sitter Lee Jeffreys was the winner of the 50-lap feature, never relinquishing the lead.

He won during the North-South Shootout for the second time. He drove a car previous guided by his father, Robert Jeffreys.

Josh Lowder was the runner-up, followed by Billy Gregg, Devin Steel and Paulie Hartwig III.

The race included several teenagers and even a pre-teen as Hartwig is 11.

On the CARS Tour, Jared Fryar claimed the Late Model event. In the 100-lap Pro Late Models feature, Austin McDonald was the winner.

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Beard, Loftin, Crigger among Caraway Speedway champions

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SOPHIA – Track champions were determined Saturday night in the regular-season finale at Caraway Speedway.

Only one of the season-long champions actually won the last race in his respective division.

Here’s a look at how it unfolded:

In Late Models, Coy Beard secured his second track championship in three seasons after driving Donnie Apple’s No. 8 car to a second-place finish.

Jeff Sparks won Saturday’s race, with Cade Brown in third.

Tony Black was the runner-up points and Apple ended up third with Daniel Schadt fourth and Jeffrey Wood fifth.

In Modifieds, Carson Loftin placed seventh in the last race of the season, but that was barely good enough for the track championship.

Loftin ended up with a four-point edge on Cody Norman. Jaxson Casper was third in the standings, followed by Carlos Gray and Lee Jeffreys.

Josh Lowder was the race winner, so he won the division’s first and final races of the season. He edged Jeffreys, while Norman was third.

In Mini Stocks, Jimmy Crigger won the for the fifth time in 2022 and that was enough for the division points championship.

Rudy Hartley was second in points, followed by Alex Higginson, Tommy Raino and Levi Holt.

In Saturday’s finale, Joe McDonald was second and Billy Cameron Jr. was third.

In the Challenger class, Brian Rose placed second in the final race to clinch the division championship. Rose only needed to start the race to seal the points title.

Allen Vance was the race winner, with Toby Layne in third and Corey Rose and Tommy Raino rounding out the top five.

Matthew Smith was sixth in the race to secure second place in the points standings and earn the division’s Rookie of the Year status.

In the UCARs class, Daniel Hughes became the track champion while claiming fourth place in the race.

Corey Rose was second in points, followed by Caleb Allred, Josh Phillips and Steven Collins.

As for the race, Jeremy Kidd notched his first victory of the season at the speedway, crossing the line ahead of Rose. Allen Vance was third.

In a special 10-lap race for non-winners in the UCARs division, Ron Mock took the top spot with Kidd in second. The race took place prior to the feature.

Legacy cars made an annual appearance at the speedway on race night and Justin Oplinger was the winner in a race shortened based on laps because of a time limit. Several crashed created a start-and-stop tone. Alyssa Mendenhall was the runner-up, followed by Ethan Glenn, David Smith and Andon Mendenhall.

In a 10-lap Bootleggers race, Robbie Perkins was the winner. In Enduros, Criggers was the winner.

Next at Caraway is the North-South Shootout set for Nov. 4-5. The main event for this Modifieds action is the 125-lap feature Nov. 5, though there are also Late Models tour division teams and CARS Pro Late Models and 602 Modifieds. Racing begins at 1:30 p.m.

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