Hickory, North Carolina | 3/5/2023
A long night at Hickory to kick off DHR's 2023 season proved to be a bigger challenge than expected.
Recapping first with the DHR Late Model Stock Team, their night faced lots of drama, repairs, and no-quit attitudes. Starting with qualifying, both Clark Houston and Joey Braun came up slightly short than they anticipated. With that being said, the Late Model Stock field featured some of the strongest competition in recent years on the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series at Hickory Motor Speedway, so going 16th and 18th between the two drivers was not too far off the pole time. Less than 3.5 tenths separated the field from 1st to 18th.
On the drop of the green flag for the first of two 40-lap LMSC races, Houston instantly went to work trying to pick up a few positions while the tires were fresh. He has moved his way into 14th, while Joey conserved his equipment and stayed with the pack in 17th. The first 30 laps of the race were fairly uneventful with only a few moments sprinkled throughout the field. It wasn't until lap 32 when the complexion of the entire night suddenly changed. One lap into a restart on lap 32, the leaders got out of shape exiting turn 4 and caused a multi-car accident that collected nearly 10 cars. This wreck from 3rd to 16th included tires flying, the track being blocked, multiple cars torn up, and Clark Houston getting heavy right rear damage at the end of the wreck. He brought his Alps Mtn Camry down pit road, but the team found a bend in the RR axel tube which eliminated his chances of finishing race one.
Joey, on the other hand, got around the accident without a scratch and was able to round out a top-10 in his first NAAPWS Late Model Stock start.
During the red-flag cleanup, crew members made the call to run back to the DHR shop in Connelly Springs to pick up a replacement rearend in order to repair the No.6 and have Houston back on track for race two. In under an hour, the crew returned with the parts. A short while later, the racecar was ready to compete again. With the A Cut Above All #41, Ashley Huffman worked with Joey to find a little more speed for the second race, preparing the car for another 40-lap dash.
The goal for this race was to keep it clean, salvage some points, and take some notes for next week. A few cautions brought the LMSC field to a pace, but it went much smoother than race one overall. Joey wheeled his way inside the top 6 with 10-to-go, and he was able to pass for 5th with only 3 laps remaining. Clark ran every lap with a beaten racecar, finishing 11th by the checkered flag.
Next on the recap includes Chris Phipps and Bub Haney for the 100-lap Carolina Pro Late Model event. Rolling from a qualifying of 14th and 19th, both drivers had some work to do, but plenty of time to make it happen. Phipps moved up a few spots during the race, but started to drop off pace slightly as the run went on. Under one of many yellow flags, Phipps brought his New River Building Supply #37 to the attention of the DHR crew for a few adjustments. He fought a tight racecar all night, but that night was cut short with 10-to-go when a weird incident unfolded under yellow while he was getting a lap back from the lucky dog. While passing the field, one car didn't realize Phipps was underneath, and the two made contact which sent Phipps hard into the turn 1 and 2 wall, hitting LF to LR and resulting in heavy damage. Haney struggled with bottoming out issues and had a part failure just 40 laps in, so his night resulted in a DNF as well.
Lastly, Gage Austin made his first start in the #4 Elite Auto Glass Renegade. He qualified and finished in a respectable 7th place, but that doesn't give a true testament to the job he did battling against the Hickory regulars around the top five. He was two and three wide, sideways at times, and showed that he can be a strong competitor this year in the Renegade division.
While the weekend was certainly a challenge for DHR, they had some positive takeaways and made progress toward Clark Houston's full season in the LMSC. Dwight Huffman Racing will be back next weekend at Hickory Motor Speedway for another pair of 40-lap Late Model Stock races with Clark Houston, as well as the first round of Big-10 Limited Late Models for Chris Phipps and Bub Haney. All racing activities will begin around 6:00pm for another full night of short-track racing.
About Dwight Huffman Racing
Dwight Huffman Racing was organized in March 1984 by Dwight Huffman, originating at Hickory Motor Speedway. The team has competed in several top divisions of NASCAR throughout the years, including the Busch Series, and has compiled a lengthy list of accomplishments including over 100 victories and several championships.
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