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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 25, 2025
Cory Hedgecock Adds Name to List of Tarheel 53 Winners; Billy Franklin Wins SAS Championship
(SWEETWATER, TENNESSEE) For the first time in his career, Cory Hedgecock is a ‘Tarheel 53’ winner! The Loudon, Tennessee ace made the short trip to I-75 Raceway on Saturday and proved to be the class of the field in the Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Franklin Enterprises finale. After picking up a heat race triumph to earn the pole position for the 53-lap headliner, Cory led each and every circuit around the Sweetwater, Tennessee oval to pocket the $10,053 paycheck for his third series victory of the year.
Finishing 3.415 seconds back at the unfurling of the checkered flag was outside polesitter Brody Smith. The young Floridian won his heat race in preliminary action and ran in the second spot early in the contest before regaining the runner-up position for good on lap 42. Bobby Giffin blasted past fourteen competitors to round out the podium in third. John Ownbey moved past five cars to finish in fourth, while Cruz Skinner nabbed the final spot inside of the top five.
After the dust had settled at I-75 Raceway and the final points were tabulated, Billy Franklin was awarded his second Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series Championship and an additional $10,000 in prize money. With the worst two races for each driver dropped following the ‘Tarheel 53,’ Billy leapfrogged Ronnie Johnson in the final point tally to secure his first Championship since 2020. Johnson finished second in points and received $5,000 for his yearlong efforts. Kendall Franklin was third in SAS points, while Michael Luna was paid for fourth and Rookie of the Year honors.
“We had a good car,” simply stated Cory Hedgecock in victory lane following the race. “Those cautions at the end weren’t real fun, but we’ll take them any way we can get them and bag this race at home. It’s good to get a Tarheel 53 title. We tried it once over at Tri-County Race Track (Brasstown, North Carolina), but we can’t hit our butt down there. Glad to get this win at home and thanks to everyone who supports this race team!”
The winning Hedgecock steered a #23V Longhorn Chassis powered by an Eagle Racing Engine with sponsorship in part from Base Racing Fuel, Integra Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing, Circle H Services, CH Enterprises, Pro-Fabrication, Viper Motorsports, Arizona Sportswear, Majestic Mobile Detail, Winters Performance, Quickcar Racing Products, Top Notch Kustom Koncepts, Stakt, Wiles Driveshafts, Wieland, Wilwood Engineering, Allstar Performance, KRC, Delph Communications, Schaeffer’s Oil, Hypercoils, XS Power, and Hoosier Racing Tire.
A total of 27 competitors piled into the I-75 Raceway pit area on Saturday for the 2025 edition of the ‘Tarheel 53.’ Cory Hedgecock went quickest during MRP Fantasy Racing hot laps with a time of 13.820 seconds, while Garrett Smith topped the speed chart during VP Racing Fuels qualifying with his fast lap of 14.136 seconds. Hedgecock, Brody Smith, and Payton Stevenson secured victories in the trio of heat races, while Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Ronnie Johnson won the lone B-Main. SAS provisionals were awarded to Michael Luna and Will Hicks.
Preparations are already being made for the 2026 Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Franklin Enterprises schedule. If you are interested in hosting an event next season, please contact Ray Cook at 828-360-5353. The series will release the full 2026 slate of events at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in downtown Indianapolis on Friday morning, December 12.
Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Franklin Enterprises
Round 20 Race Summary
Saturday, October 25, 2025
I-75 Raceway - Sweetwater, Tennessee
American Racer Tires Feature Finish (53 Laps):
1. (1) Cory Hedgecock $10,053
2. (2) Brody Smith $5,000
3. (17) Bobby Giffin $3,000
4. (9) John Ownbey $2,000
5. (6) Cruz Skinner $1,500
6. (10) David Payne $1,000
7. (4) Garrett Smith $800
8. (7) Brenden Smith $700
9. (8) Daniel Boles $675
10. (15) Jordon Horton $650
11. (19) Billy Franklin $625
12. (14) Kendall Franklin $600
13. (18) Ruben Mayfield $575
14. (22) Will Hicks $550
15. (5) David Crabtree $525
16. (13) Jordan Rodabaugh $500
17. (12) Gray Parton $500
18. (20) Dakota Smith $500
19. (16) Ronnie Johnson $500
20. (21) Michael Luna $500
21. (11) Heath Hindman $500
22. (3) Payton Stevenson $500
Entries: 27
Lap Leaders: Cory Hedgecock (Laps 1-53)
MRP Fantasy Racing Hot Laps:
Fastest Lap Overall: Cory Hedgecock 13.820
VP Racing Fuels Time Trials:
Fast Time Overall: Garrett Smith 14.136
J&J Construction Heat Race #1 Finish (Top Five Transfer): 1. 23V-Cory Hedgecock[2]; 2. 10-Garrett Smith[1]; 3. 17SS-Brenden Smith[4]; 4. 8-David Payne[3]; 5. 66-Jordan Rodabaugh[8]; 6. 5-Ronnie Johnson[5]; 7. 97-Bobby Giffin[6]; 8. 3D-Dakota Smith[7]; 9. (DNS) R1-Riley Hickman
Southern Racing Enterprise Heat Race #2 Finish (Top Five Transfer): 1. 17SR-Brody Smith[1]; 2. C5-David Crabtree[2]; 3. 20-Daniel Boles[4]; 4. 91-Heath Hindman[6]; 5. 317-Kendall Franklin[3]; 6. 00-Ruben Mayfield[5]; 7. 29-Evan Harrell[7]; 8. 112-Michael Luna[8]; 9. (DNS) 22T-Karl Tipton
Knowles Race Parts & Bodies Heat Race #3 Finish (Top Five Transfer): 1. 24-Payton Stevenson[1]; 2. 18-Cruz Skinner[3]; 3. 44-John Ownbey[9]; 4. 18P-Gray Parton[2]; 5. 56H-Jordon Horton[4]; 6. 17-Billy Franklin[6]; 7. 3-Steve Smith[8]; 8. 15-Will Hicks[7]; 9. 95-Alex Vance[5]
Coltman Farms Racing B-Main Finish (Top Five Transfer): 1. 5-Ronnie Johnson[1]; 2. 97-Bobby Giffin[4]; 3. 00-Ruben Mayfield[2]; 4. 17-Billy Franklin[3]; 5. 3D-Dakota Smith[7]; 6. 95-Alex Vance[10]; 7. 29-Evan Harrell[5]; 8. 3-Steve Smith[6]; 9. 112-Michael Luna[8]; 10. 15-Will Hicks[9]
Provisionals: Michael Luna, Will Hicks
Final Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series Point Standings - 2 Drops Included:
1. Billy Franklin - 3304
2. Ronnie Johnson - 3220
3. Kendall Franklin - 3196
4. Michael Luna (R) - 3050
5. Dillon Tidmore - 2205
6. Josh Henry - 2127
7. Joe Denby - 1912
8. Will Hicks - 1696
9. Jordon Horton - 1657
10. David Payne - 1428
* Only the driver’s best 18 point races counted towards the final series standings. Since 20 races were completed, the final standings reflect two dropped races for each driver.
2025 Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series Schedule of Events:
Saturday, February 1 - I-75 Raceway (Sweetwater, TN) - CORY HEDGECOCK
Saturday, February 22 - Buckshot Speedway (Clanton, AL) - RAINED OUT
Friday, March 21 - Southern Raceway (Milton, FL) - JOSEPH JOINER
Saturday, March 22 - Southern Raceway (Milton, FL) - RYAN CRANE
Friday, April 11 - Penton Raceway (Lafayette, AL) - CORY HEDGECOCK
Saturday, April 12 - Winder-Barrow Speedway (Winder, GA) - DILLON TIDMORE
Friday, May 16 - West Alabama Speedway (Winfield, AL) - BILLY FRANKLIN
Saturday, May 17 - North Alabama Speedway (Tuscumbia, AL) - DILLON TIDMORE
Saturday, June 14 - Lavonia Speedway (Lavonia, GA) - POSTPONED TO 8/29
Friday, June 20 - North Georgia Speedway (Chatsworth, GA) - ZACK MITCHELL
Saturday, June 21 - Sugar Creek Raceway (Blue Ridge, GA) - TUCKER ANDERSON
Thursday, July 3 - I-75 Raceway (Sweetwater, TN) - GARRETT SMITH
Saturday, July 5 - Mountain View Raceway (Spring City, TN) - RUSTY BALLENGER
Saturday, August 16 - Sugar Creek Raceway (Blue Ridge, GA) - TUCKER ANDERSON
Saturday, August 23 - Lake Cumberland Speedway (Burnside, KY) - JASON JAMESON
Friday, August 29 - Lavonia Speedway (Lavonia, GA) - MICHAEL BROWN
Saturday, August 30 - Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, TN) - VIC HILL
Sunday, August 31 - Tazewell Speedway (Tazewell, TN) - TRAVIS FULTZ
Saturday, September 13 - Wartburg Speedway (Wartburg, TN) - CAMARON MARLAR
Friday, September 19 - Anderson Motor Speedway (Williamston, SC) - JAMIE OLIVER
Saturday, October 11 - Dixie Speedway (Woodstock, GA) - DONALD MCINTOSH
Saturday, October 25 - I-75 Raceway (Sweetwater, TN) - CORY HEDGECOCK
The Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Franklin Enterprises would like to thank all of our 2025 marketing partners including Franklin Enterprises, American Racer Tires, J&J Construction, VP Racing Fuels, Coltman Farms Racing, Southern Racing Enterprise, Fullmoon Graphics, Gentry Used Auto Parts & Recycling, RockAuto.com, Knowles Race Parts & Bodies, Olivia Gentry Real Estate, MD3 Body Panels, Delph Communications, and Rugged Radios. More information on the tour can be found online at www.SASDirt.com or by accessing the series Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SouthernAllStarDirtRacingSeries.
Media Contact: Ryan Delph - Delph Communications
www.DelphCommunications.com
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