Southern All Stars Series
Volunteer Speedway
June 13, 2015
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Cook captures $5,200 Scott Sexton Memorial victory at Volunteer Speedway



by Robert Walden
BULLS GAP, Tenn. (June 13) — The Southern All Star Racing Series visited Volunteer Speedway on Saturday night for the third annual Scott Sexton Memorial, with Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., and Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky., respectively having won the first two events.

Ray Cook of Murphy, N.C., wrote his name in the record book with an impressive run to capture the $5,200 victory in a race honoring one of East Tennessee’s all-time best behind the wheel of a dirt Super Late Model. The 46-year-old Sexton, from Pigeon Forge and widely known around racing as “Superman” who ended his legendary career just shy of 200 victories, passed away on January 10, 2013 after a seven year health battle.

The top eight from Southern All Star Racing Series White Performance/Schaeffer’s Oil group qualifying were locked into the 52-lap main event, with David Payne fastest in Group A at 13.266 seconds and Mark Douglas quickest in Group B and also overall with a time of 13.178.

PPM Racing Products heat races determined the remainder of the starting field, with Skylar Marlar winning the first heat and Dillon Tidmore taking the checkered flag in the second heat.

Douglas jumped out to the lead over Cook, Payne, Jason Welshan and Roger Best at start. But quickly making a move forward from his eighth starting position was Donald McIntosh, as he got around both Cory Hedgecock and Ryan King to ride in the sixth spot. Racing off the fourth turn on lap 12, McIntosh passed Best to take over fifth.



While Cook was putting the heat on Douglas wanting the lead, behind them action was intense between Payne, Welshan, McIntosh and Best, as you could throw a blanket over the top six in the running order. Payne dropped to the inside of Cook trying to wrestle second away on lap 17, but Cook held him off.

Meanwhile McIntosh and Welshan were battling side-by-side for the fourth spot, with McIntosh taking the position on lap 20 racing off the fourth turn. With the front-running group of Douglas, Cook, Payne, McIntosh and Welshan right together as they worked slower traffic, just behind them in the sixth and seventh spots were Best and Vic Hill.

The hard-charging McIntosh passed Payne to take away third on lap 21 racing off the second corner down the backstretch. The event’s only caution waved on lap 33 when Josh Henry slowed on the track.

Douglas was all alone out front for the restart, with Cook and McIntosh double-file behind him. Back under green, Douglas led Cook and McIntosh. But the “Tarheel Tiger” Cook, driving the A+ Moving & Storage Co./Tommy Pope Construction/Jay Dickens Racing Engines/Performance Rod & Custom/VP Racing Fuels/Schaeffer’s Racing Oil/Old Man’s Garage/Collins Signs/American Racer South/Integra Racing Shocks/K&N Performance Filters/No. 53 Capital Race Cars, was on the prowl right on the leader’s back bumper.



With cars battling two- and at times three-wide around the high banks, racing into the third turn Cook rolled in deep above Douglas  and throttled-up to make the pass for the lead between turns three and four on lap 36. Once out front Cook would go on to record the victory, while all eyes were focused on Douglas and McIntosh on the final lap as they raced side-by-side, with McIntosh barely edging Douglas for the runner-up spot at the start-finish line. Finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, were Welshan and Payne.  This was Ray Cook’s 13th career Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series win.

Completing the top 10 finishers were Hill, Best, Marlar, Mark Dotson and Mark Vineyard.

Southern All-Star Dirt Racing Series
Race Results

A-Main
1. (3) Ray Cook #53-Brasstown, NC $5,200
2. (8) Donald McIntosh #7-Dawsonville, GA $2,500
3. (2) Mark Douglas #52D-Knoxville, TN $1,500
4. (4) Jason Welshan #29-Maryville, TN $1,000
5. (1) David Payne #8-Murphy, NC $800
6. (11) Vic Hill #1-Mosheim, TN $600
7. (6) Roger Best #007-Louisville, TN $575
8. (9) Skylar Marlar #11-Winfield, TN $550
9. (12) Mark Dotson #85-Cameron, MO $525
10. (14) Mark Vineyard #4-Powell, TN $500
11. (13) Jensen Ford #83-Jonesborough, TN $450
12. (20) Riley Hickman #r1-Ooltewah, TN $425
13. (5) Ryan King #30-Seymour, TN $420
14. (16) Ellery Leake #34-Knoxville, TN $415
15. (19) Bobby Mays #25-Jonesborough, TN $410
16. (11) Dillon Tidmore #38-Glencoe, AL $405
17. (15) Chad Ogle #10-Sevierville, TN $400
18. (17) Jeff Wolfenbarger #28-Clinton, TN $400
19. (7) Cory Hedgecock #23-Loudon, TN $400
20. (21) Josh Henry #70-Newport, TN $400
21. (18) Dale Ball #2-Johnson City, TN $400
22. (22) Dusty Carver #9-Englewood, TN $400


Event Photos courtesy of Michael Moats


















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