Dillon Tidmore Tames Winder-Barrow Field For $5,000 Southern All Stars Victory

Story By: RYAN DELPH / SOUTHERN ALL STAR DIRT RACING SERIES – WINDER, GA – In front of a standing-room-only crowd in the inaugural visit by the Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Franklin Enterprises to Winder-Barrow Speedway, it was Dillon Tidmore that tamed the tight bullring to pocket the $5,000 first place prize money.

Dillon toured the Winder, Georgia oval faster than any other competitor during VP Racing Fuels qualifying and later started the 50-lap headliner from the outside of the front row. The Gadsden, Alabama ace then jumped out to the early race lead and held off all challenges when the track turned one lane later in the feature distance.

Dillon beat runner-up and polesitter David McCoy to the checkered flag by 0.425 of a second to secure his third career SAS victory. McCoy, who laid down the quickest lap in Group A during time trials, ran in the second spot throughout the contest. Jordy Nipper picked off a trio of competitors to round out the podium in third. Local drivers Trae Kirk and Chris Woods represented very well and finished in the fourth and fifth position respectively. Friday night’s Penton Raceway Southern All Stars winner Cory Hedgecock started third on the grid, but repeated attempts to get rolling on the topside led to him slipping to sixth at the checkers.

“I was worried about somebody getting up there on the racetrack and blasting around that top,” quoted Tidmore in victory lane. “I was just going to ride around that bottom until I saw someone’s nose or saw someone get by me. We were just going to live and die on the bottom and it worked out. Gotta give a shoutout to Kenny Collins – he kind of had me prepped to come here, so we knew what we were getting into. But, it’s a pretty cool little place.”

Tidmore’s #38 Longhorn Chassis was powered by a Jay Dickens Racing Engine and was sponsored in part by Big D’s Sports Bar & Grill, A&G Excavation, CK Reid Trucking, Tidmore Construction, Payne’s Lawn Care, All Foam Solutions, Elite Motorsports, Atkins Appraisal, J&R Lumber & Supply Company, Batey and Sanders Fabrication, and Seawright Motorsports.

A total of 19 Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series competitors were on hand at Winder-Barrow Speedway for the track’s first-ever Super Late Model event. Jordy Nipper went quickest in MRP Fantasy League Hot Laps, while Dillon Tidmore turned the fastest lap in VP Racing Fuels qualifying with his quick time of 13.946 seconds. Only three caution flags slowed the pace – the most serious came on lap four when a huge pile-up blocked the track in turn four. The feature event lasted 33 minutes and twelve starters completed all fifty circuits.

The Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Franklin Enterprises will now take about a month off until the next two scheduled events in the state of Alabama on May 16-17. A $4,000 paycheck will be up for grabs on that Friday night at West Alabama Speedway in Winfield, Alabama, while the weekend finale on that Saturday evening at North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Alabama will boast a $5,000 windfall. Billy Franklin will bring the SAS point lead into the doubleheader, as he leads Joe Denby by 40 markers and his son Kendall Franklin by 42 points.

Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Franklin Enterprises
Round 5 Race Summary
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Winder-Barrow Speedway – Winder, Georgia
American Racer Tires Feature Finish (50 Laps):

1. (2) Dillon Tidmore $5,000
2. (1) David McCoy $2,500
3. (6) Jordy Nipper $1,500
4. (4) Trae Kirk $1,200
5. (8) Chris Woods $1,000
6. (3) Cory Hedgecock $800
7. (12) Billy Franklin $750
8. (5) John Anderson $700
9. (11) Josh Henry $650
10. (9) Ronnie Johnson $600
11. (16) Kendall Franklin $550
12. (13) Gus Simpson $525
13. (18) Joe Denby $500
14. (14) Chris McKeehan $475
15. (15) Ken Lampp $450
16. (17) Michael Luna $440
17. (7) James Cason $430
18. (10) Devon Morgan $420
DNS. (19) Shay Miller

Entries: 19
Lap Leaders: Dillon Tidmore (Laps 1-50)
Caution Flags: 3
MRP Fantasy League Hot Laps:
Fastest Lap Overall: Jordy Nipper 13.785
VP Racing Fuels Time Trials:
Fast Time Overall: Dillon Tidmore 13.946

Qualifying – Group A: 1. 187-David McCoy, 00:14.152[2]; 2. 23V-Cory Hedgecock, 00:14.222[4]; 3. 7-John Anderson, 00:14.305[7]; 4. 105-James Cason, 00:14.452[3]; 5. 27J-Ronnie Johnson, 00:14.564[8]; 6. B00-Josh Henry, 00:14.667[1]; 7. 11-Gus Simpson, 00:14.680[6]; 8. 1K-Ken Lampp, 00:14.728[9]; 9. 63-Michael Luna, 00:15.151[5]

Qualifying – Group B: 1. 38-Dillon Tidmore, 00:13.946[1]; 2. 66-Trae Kirk, 00:14.068[2]; 3. 1N-Jordy Nipper, 00:14.110[9]; 4. 17W-Chris Woods, 00:14.152[6]; 5. 21-Devon Morgan, 00:14.285[8]; 6. 17-Billy Franklin, 00:14.387[3]; 7. 21M-Chris McKeehan, 00:14.491[10]; 8. 317-Kendall Franklin, 00:14.551[7]; 9. 27-Joe Denby, 00:14.873[5]; 10. (DNS) 21S-Shay Miller