GIBSONTON, Fla. — The Winternationals came to a thrilling conclusion as the annual Ronald Laney Memorial King of the 360s capped off five weeks of racing at East Bay Raceway Park.
Sam Hafertepe Jr. held off Mark Smith to win the 40-lap event and the $10,000 top prize.
Ryan Smith grabbed the early lead, but Mark Smith took the point on lap 10.
While Mark Smith set the pace, Hafertepe was picking his way through lapped traffic. He finally ran down Smith and took the lead on lap 26 of the third-mile oval.
With Hafertepe and Smith concentrating on the bottom of the race track, Terry McCarl looked to the high side for a ticket to the front. Dylan Westbrook was working the high groove as well. The action was hectic and the only thing missing was a caution flag. The yellow never appeared as the 40-lap feature took 11 minutes to complete with Hafertepe reigning victorious.
The 2022 winner remarked in victory lane that they were unsure of how the event would turn out and were making adjustments up until being called to the track.
Smith finished second, with McCarl, Ryan Smith and Westbrook rounding out the top five.
Jeff Isabell Jr. topped the 25-lap Mod Lite feature.
The finish:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (15H), Mark Smith (43), Terry McCarl (24x), Ryan Smith (10x), Dylan Westbrook (47x), Danny Martin Jr. (24), Carson McCarl (27), Davie Franek (28F), A.J. Maddox (3A), Aaron Reutzel (8), Max Stambaugh (5M), Tim Shaffer (28), Dale Howard (47), Danny Smith (66), Matt Kurtz (92), Johnny Gilbertson (22), Cody Bova (20B), Chris Martin (44), Brendan Mullen (11M), Garrett Green (82), Phil Gressman (7c), Eric Riggins Jr. (47R), Zane DeVault (7D), Ricky Peterson Jr. (2P)
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