Hawk Flies High In East Lincoln’s Winter Blast

Ray Hawk en route to victory Saturday at East Lincoln Speedway. (Jacob Seelman photo)

STANLEY, N.C. – Ray Hawk dominated on a frigid Saturday afternoon to collect the winner’s spoils from the 100-lap Enduro that headlined East Lincoln Speedway’s Winter Blast.

Hawk lined up third on the grid, but surged to the lead by the end of the second lap and never looked back from that point on.

He cruised the rest of the way, ultimately lapping the field en route to victory over runner-up Ronald Quinn and collecting a $1,000 payday for his efforts.

Hawk held a comfortable lead throughout the first half, with the race’s first caution not waving until 73 laps in, when polesitter Zachary Cameron spun to a stop at the bottom of the fourth turn.

Cameron’s gray-and-red No. 95 was towed off by a track wrecker, with the green flag returning shortly after and Hawk going on cruise control with a full lap in hand at that point.

One final slowdown came with nine to go, when Chase Loden spun and backed into the outside wall right at the flagstand.

The battle for the runner-up spot intensified briefly following the final restart, with second through fourth all on the same lap, but Quinn was able to hang on over Eddie Setzer and Chad Sprinkle.

Eighth-starting Jimmy Weaver moved forward steadily to close out the top five.

Saturday’s action marked the first points race of the season for East Lincoln Speedway’s Enduro class.

Twenty-lap features were also held for the Pure Stock and Front Wheel Drive divisions at the three-eighths-mile clay oval. Polesitters Chris Smith and Allen Wyatt, respectively, won those main events.

The finish:

1. H1-Ray Hawk [3], 2. 414-Ronald Quinn [6], 3. 14-Eddie Setzer [4], 4. 7-Chad Sprinkle [9], 5. 08-Jimmy Weaver [8], 6. 22-Dakota Vaughan [5], 7. 83-Chase Loden [7], 8. 95-Zachary Cameron [1], 9. 777-Trent Jordan [2].