8/3/2025
Hunt The Front Super Dirt Series
Seawright scores HTF Series Victory at Duck River's Deep Fried 75
LEWISBURG, Tenn. (Aug. 2) — Sam Seawright of Fort Payne, Ala., used a bold slide job after a lap-69 restart to wrest the lead from Cory Hedgecock of Loudon, Tenn., and captured a $15,000 victory in Saturday’s Deep Fried 75 finale for the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series at Duck River Raceway Park.
The win marked Seawright’s second HTF Series triumph of the season, his second career HTF Series win at Duck River, and his second victory in the Deep Fried 75 finale.
“Cory did an awesome job. I felt like I was better than him, but he did a really good job driving and it took me forever to get by him,” said Seawright, whose previous Deep Fried 75 victory came in 2019. “Thanks to this awesome crowd. This place is badass. This is my favorite place in the country. I love (track owner) Russell (Booth). I love everybody here. This is awesome.”
Hedgecock settled for the runner-up finish, followed by Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., in third. Ashton Winger of Hampton, Ga., recovered from early ignition issues to finish fourth, while Zack Mitchell of Enoree, S.C., rounded out the top five.
After winning his heat, Seawright drew the No. 1 gear in the Jerico Transmissions redraw, earning the pole. Winger drew second and surged ahead at the green. Behind them, Owens, McDowell, and Hedgecock battled for third early.
While Winger and Seawright committed to the cushion, Hedgecock hugged the bottom and advanced quickly. He moved past McDowell and Owens, then slipped under Seawright when the Fort Payne driver jumped the cushion in turn four. Hedgecock completed his charge to the front with a move under Winger on lap 17.
Winger slowed a few laps later with ignition trouble, triggering a caution. During the yellow, he swapped to a backup ignition box and rejoined the field 17th, the last car on the lead lap. Owens was the next front-runner to exit, retiring with mechanical issues just past halfway after running as high as third.
From that point forward, the race became a back-and-forth between Seawright and Hedgecock. Seawright managed to pass Hedgecock for the lead three times, only to have each move erased by cautions.
The decisive moment came on a lap-70 restart. Seawright launched off turn four and dove low entering turn one, executing a textbook slide job that cleared Hedgecock cleanly. He drove away over the final six laps, winning by 2.213 seconds.
Owens' early departure due to mechanical issues created a shakeup in the Hunt the Front Series points standings, tightening the championship battle with just four races remaining. Mitchell’s fifth-place finish moved him to within just 14 points of the top spot, while Hedgecock’s runner-up effort brought him to within 28 points of the lead.
The Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series returns to action Saturday, Aug. 23, at North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, Ga.
For more information, visit htfseries.com or follow Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series on Facebook. All series events stream live at huntthefront.tv, where race highlights and driver interviews are also available.
Article Credit: Story by Roby Helm | Photo by Zachary Washington
Submitted By: Joshua Joiner