GREENWOOD, Louisiana (Sept. 9, 2023) — Touring Super Late Model star Cade Dillard; regional open-wheel stalwart Coty Tupper, and Ark-La-Tex region Stock car master Justin Whitehead all won features in their respective divisions, as the 51st annual Louisiana Dirt Track Championships were held on Saturday night at Boothill Speedway.
Dillard powered to victory in a caution-free 40-lap A Main for Comp Cams Super Dirt Series (CCSDS) teams; Tupper prevailed in a talent-filled affair for USRA Limited Modifieds; while Whitehead added another victory to his impressive season in a hotly-contested Factory Stock feature.
Michael Easley (Pro Mods); Hunter Hollis (USRA Tuners); and Chris Weatherford (Sportsters) were also feature winners on the biggest night of the year at the historic dirt oval located close to Shreveport.
Dillard, of Robeline, started second on a 22-car grid, took the lead immediately on the initial start and set a blistering pace en route to earning a $5,000 payday. BJ Robinson drove up from sixth on the grid to claim second, while series regular Mason Oberkramer filled out the podium.
Tyler Stevens and Hunter Rasdon completed the top five.
“My guys were telling me I had a pretty good lead there at one point,” Dillard told series announcer Wesley Gwaltney in Victory Lane. “I was afraid it was going to rubber in, so I was trying to get a few lapped cars in between me and BJ. I probably ran it a little too hard there for a little while.
“But once I saw he wasn't making up any ground, I moved down and found the rubber there I needed. At that point, I just knew I couldn't afford to mess up or make any mistakes. This is awesome; I came to this race track when I was two weeks old. I have big respect for Bubba and Ralo; they've done a lot.”
Finishing sixth through 10th in the CCSDS A Main were Billy Moyer, Kyle Beard, Morgan Bagley, Brian Rickman and Billy Moyer Jr. With no caution to slow his pace, Dillard simply checked out. Dillard's margin of victory over Robinson was a comfy 1.740 seconds, as his No. 97 entry was gone.
Oberkramer, Stevens, Dillard and Rickman won their respective qualifying Heats earlier in the evening, while Jamie Burford and David Payne won the two B Mains.
Tupper, of Blanchard, started eighth on a 20-car grid, drove to the inside of Skeet Amason coming through Turn 4 with the checkered flag waving to steal top honors in dramatic fashion. Amason, who's won just about every other race in Louisiana, settled for second, while Andrew Rossum claimed third.
Jason Nation and Aaron Roy rounded out the top five with solid efforts.
“On any regular night, I would 100 percent not do that,” Tupper said. “But for the state championship, all day, baby. I'll take my butt chewing here in a little bit; but it's for the state championship, so I sent it. This is awesome, I won it in a Factory Stock my first year out, but in a Limited, it's a whole lot more special. I really love a smooth race track, I try to take advantage of it. I do respect Skeet a whole lot.”
Finishing sixth through 10th in the USRA Limited Modified feature were Greenville, Texas, veteran Jimmy Day, Austin Dupont, regional strongman Stephen Guidry, Josh Baucom and Carson Bradley. Eight cautions slowed the pace, all for minor spins.
Tupper's margin of victory was a scant .442 of a second.
Whitehead, of Texarkana, started eighth on a talent-filled 20-car grid, drove to the inside of Neil Kemp to take command at lap 16 and hung on to claim the coveted LA Championship trophy. Kemp powered his way up from 13th at the start, led one lap and claimed second, while Nicholas Kirby finished third.
Jason Tiner and Dalton Dubois completed the top five.
“That was a lot of fun,” Whitehead said in Victory Lane. “It wasn't as clean as I normally race, but it was a heck of a lot of fun. He (Kemp) got into me a little at the beginning, but it wasn't a big deal; no harm, no foul. I know he had the better car; but I was able to put it out front, hang on and get it done.
“Dalton (Dubois) was about to get passed by Neil, so I kind of ran in there a little hard to try and make it a little snug. I was playing defense as much as I was offense. Man, we haven't been able to park it in Victory Lane here all year long. I can't thank all of my sponsors enough for their support.”
Finishing sixth through 10th in the 20-lap Factory Stock A Main were 2022 State title winner Cody Myers, T.J. Evans, previous state title winner Bo Perry, Josh Daughtery and Daniel Jones. Three cautions slowed the pace, all for minor incidents. Whitehead's margin of victory was .735 of a second.
The 51st annual Louisiana Dirt Track Championships drew an amazing 166 entries spread across six divisions. Led by the ever-popular Factory Stocks with a whopping 48 teams on hand, there was no shortage of talent in every corner of Boothill's expansive pit area.
Fans were treated to fantastic side-by-side and often three-wide battles for position all evening long. When it comes to prestige and pride to win a particular event in Louisiana, this one tops the list, by far.
Officials cranked out 20 qualifying Heats, several B Mains and all six features with only minor delays.
You can replay every lap from Saturday's 51st annual Louisiana Dirt Track Championships at Boothill Speedway with a subscription at RaceOnTexas.com. With over 400 events on the Live steaming schedule this year, it's home to some of the finest short track content online.
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By Phil Whipple, RaceOnTexas.com Staff Writer
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