Caleb Heady (left) is joined in victory lane by Dink Windenhouse (right), one of the most successful racers at Hickory Motor Speedway in the 1950s, after Heady’s SMART Modified Tour victory at Hickory on Saturday night. Photo: SMART Modified Tour
Caleb Heady dominated Saturday night’s SMART Modified Tour feature at North Carolina’s historic Hickory Motor Speedway to score the win in the Hickory Hundred.
The Shelbyville, Kentucky driver led all 100-lap at the 3/8-mile raceway to record his first series win of the season and the third of his career.
The victory comes after a string of unfortunate circumstances to open the 2023 campaign for Heady, the defending series champion.
“It sucked to have two poles before this race and not have anything to show for it,” Heady said. “We got a hundred laps led, a victory and the SMARTY trophy coming back to Kentucky, so we have something now.
“Tommy Baldwin Racing gave me a bad fast car and this is one of the places you want to win. To be able to check this one off my box is frickin’ awesome. Just lookin’ at this place, you can feel the history. And thinking about everyone who has won before me makes it pretty cool to get one here.”
Despite the fact that Heady led every lap, in the final 25-laps of the race, the 20 year-old driver had to hold off rookie Carson Loftin for the victory.
“I gotta give it to Carson, he killed it. He had me on my toes all night,” said Heady. “I kept on looking up and I expected to see Burt (Myers) or someone else behind me. I kept seeing this red car and I said ‘Oh my gosh, he’s still here with us.’ Huge props to him. They killed it tonight.”
“I thought we had a shot, but I didn’t want to win it by doing something stupid,” Loftin. “Tommy and his guys do such a great job and Caleb is a wheelman. When you go to the racetrack you know you have to beat the 7ny.”
Heady was joined in victory lane by legendary racer Dink Widenhouse and his famous B-29 Modified Coupe. Dink was one of the most successful racers at Hickory Motor Speedway in the 1950s.
Burt Myers continues to lead the series points standings after finishing third. It marks his third podium finish in first four races of 2023. Jonathan Brown followed in fourth, with former NASCAR Cup Series ace Ryan Newman in fifth.
Jonathan Brown, former NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, Brandon Ward, Gary Putnam, and Dawsonville, Georgia’s Spencer Davis rounded out the top 10.
Next up for the SMART Modified Tour is a trip to Franklin County Speedway in Callaway, Virginia on Friday, May 26. For more information, visit SMARTModTour.com.
SMART Modified Tour
Hickory Motor Speedway – Hickory, NC
Race Results – April 15, 2023
1. Caleb Heady
2. Carson Loftin
3. Burt Myers
4. Jonathan Brown
5. Ryan Newman
6. John Smith
7. Bobby Labonte
8. Brandon Ward
9. Gary Putnam
10. Spencer Davis
11. Joey Coulter
12. Jonny Kay
13. Brian Loftin
14. Jason Myers
15. Bobby Measmer Jr.
16. Michael Ritch
17. Daniel Yates
18. Riley Neal
19. Dennis Holdren
20. Jeremy Gerstner
21. Cody Norman
22. Jason Tutterow
23. Tom Buzze
24. Tim Brown
25. Jake Crum
26. Wes Gilbert
27. Jimmy Wallace
28. Jason Poole
29. Brian Weber
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