Malone Wins Blue Grey At Cherokee; Bradford Claims Crate Racin’ USA Late Model ’24 Title

Story By: CRATE RACIN’ USA – GAFFNEY, SC – The 2024 Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts Crate Racin’ USA Late Model Sportsman Tour came to an exciting conclusion Sunday night at the 34th Annual Blue Grey at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, South Carolina.

In a thrilling final showdown, Beckham Malone of Rock Hill, SC, claimed victory on the last lap over Luke Cooper, while Logan Bradford of Huntsville, AL, secured the overall CRUSA Late Model Sportsman Tour championship.

The afternoon kicked off with two young South Carolina drivers, Luke Cooper from Woodruff, SC, and Beckham Malone, leading the field to the green flag. Cooper, who started on the pole with a fast lap time of 15.906, grabbed the initial lead, but the action was immediately slowed by a caution on lap one after Seth Speed lost a right rear tire. The field restacked, but the caution flags would continue to fly as the drivers struggled to settle into a rhythm. Another yellow flag came out when Jaedyn Altiers of Lexington, NC, spun in turn two on the second restart, followed by a third caution just a few laps later when Mac Frye slowed on the track.

Once the field settled into a groove, Cooper continued to lead the way, with Malone and John Ruggiero Jr. hot on his heels. A strong charge from Union, SC’s Trent Ivey brought him into the top four, and the drivers battled through the next few laps with plenty of action. But on lap 13, the race would be slowed again, due to a yellow involving Shun Thomas.

With only seven laps to go, Malone began to apply heavy pressure to Cooper for the lead. As the two raced side-by-side, Malone made his move on the inside off of turn three, making slight contact with Cooper’s car to take the lead coming to the checkered flag.

Malone’s victory in the 34th Annual Blue Grey marks the eighth different winner in the nine-race inaugural season of the CRUSA Late Model Sportsman Tour. The series, which has been praised for its competitive balance and thrilling racing, is already making plans to return for the 2025 season.

November 17 – Cherokee Speedway Results: 20 lap feature
A Feature 1: 1. 23-Beckham Malone[2]; 2. 57-Luke Cooper[1]; 3. 44-John Ruggiero Jr[3]; 4. 9-Dalton Peavy[8]; 5. 28-Trent Ivey[9]; 6. 11-David Smith[7]; 7. 18-Preston Blalock[12]; 8. 22T-Steven Thompkins[10]; 9. 00-Kendal Tucker[5]; 10. 67-Logan Bradford[6]; 11. 12C-Chase Giddens[15]; 12. 10P-Tyler Payne[22]; 13. 2-Wyatt Coffey[4]; 14. 5J-Braden Jones[11]; 15. 61-Caleb Ashby[13]; 16. 25-Chason Beasley[24]; 17. 56-Jonathan Joiner[18]; 18. 52-Chris Stowe[17]; 19. 99-Shun Thomas[21]; 20. 40-Dustin Watkins[14]; 21. 10-Mac Frye[25]; 22. 55-Giovanni Baker[23]; 23. 25A-Jaedyn Altiers[26]; 24. 01-Chris Puskas[20]; 25. 149-Seth Speed[16]; 26. (DNS) J12-Jason Dickerson

Lap Leaders:
Luke Cooper – 19
Beckham Malone – 1

Eagle Racing Engines, – Hard Charger:
10P-Tyler Payne-Fayetteville, NC (+10) to 12th

BMF Race Cars – Fastest Qualifier:
57-Luke Cooper – 16.906

Qualifying 1: 1. 57-Luke Cooper, 00:16.906[14]; 2. 23-Beckham Malone, 00:16.908[21]; 3. 44-John Ruggiero Jr, 00:16.948[12]; 4. 2-Wyatt Coffey, 00:17.038[15]; 5. 00-Kendal Tucker, 00:17.050[22]; 6. 67-Logan Bradford, 00:17.084[5]; 7. 11-David Smith, 00:17.102[16]; 8. 9-Dalton Peavy, 00:17.135[26]; 9. 28-Trent Ivey, 00:17.138[3]; 10. 22T-Steven Thompkins, 00:17.146[4]; 11. 5J-Braden Jones, 00:17.181[24]; 12. 18-Preston Blalock, 00:17.216[17]; 13. 61-Caleb Ashby, 00:17.219[20]; 14. 40-Dustin Watkins, 00:17.474[19]; 15. 12C-Chase Giddens, 00:17.507[1]; 16. 149-Seth Speed, 00:17.510[13]; 17. 52-Chris Stowe, 00:17.523[8]; 18. 56-Jonathan Joiner, 00:17.599[10]; 19. J12-Jason Dickerson, 00:17.718[9]; 20. 01-Chris Puskas, 00:17.748[11]; 21. 99-Shun Thomas, 00:17.777[23]; 22. 10P-Tyler Payne, 00:17.817[2]; 23. 55-Giovanni Baker, 00:18.106[6]; 24. 25-Chason Beasley, 00:18.214[25]; 25. 10-Mac Frye, 00:18.342[7]; 26. 25A-Jaedyn Altiers, 00:18.544[18]

Car Count: 26

Championship Drama
While the Blue Grey race provided an exciting finish, the CRUSA Late Model Sportsman Tour championship battle was equally intense. Heading into the race, Logan Bradford, the points leader, had a slim six-point advantage over Chase Giddens and a 12 points advantage over Caleb Ashby. As the race unfolded, Bradford stayed in the top 10, while Giddens mounted a charge from his 15th starting position, battling his way just outside of the top 10 and closing in on Bradford.

With just seven laps remaining, Giddens was within striking distance of Bradford, but the points battle would come down to the final laps. The two drivers crossed the finish line in 10th and 11th place, with Bradford holding off Giddens by just one position to secure the inaugural CRUSA Late Model Sportsman Tour championship. Despite a valiant effort, Giddens fell just short, while Caleb Ashby of Cunningham, TN, finished 15th and wrapping up the third spot in the tour standings.

Bradford’s performance throughout the season, which included consistent finishes and strong drives in critical moments, earned him the title and solidified his place in the history books as the first-ever champion of the Adam Stewart-directed Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts CRUSA Late Model Sportsman Tour.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better way to cap off such a remarkable first season,” said Tour Director Adam Stewart. “The competition has been fierce all year, and to have so many different drivers in victory lane just shows the strength and depth of talent in the 602 late model ranks. We’re already working on plans for next season and can’t wait to get back on the track in 2025.”