In a pair of incredibly close finishes Saturday night, Bobby McCarty returned to Edelbrock Victory Lane in the Late Model Stock division, while young Carson Kvapil scored his first career CARS Super Late Model Tour win.
Kvapil scored the MAHLE Pole Award but settled into the second position behind a fast Matt Craig for 99 of the 100 laps before using a slightly better turning car through the center of the turns to sweep under Matt Craig for the photo finish win.
It was Kvapil’s first career series win in just his eleventh start, and with the win in the season opening event for the Super Late Models becomes the points leader.
Ryan Moore finished third over Florida driver T.J. Duke in fourth and Garret Hall, from Maine, rounded out the top five.
MTP Tire 250 presented by Cloer Construction
Hickory Motor Speedway – Hickory, NC
March 20, 2021
Super Late Models Unofficial Finish
1. #35 Carson Kvapil
2. #54 Matt Craig
3. #74 Ryan Moore
4. #28 TJ Duke
5. #94X Garrett Hall
6. #7C Justin Crider
7. #4ME Ben Rowe
8. #11 Michael Ritch
9. #49 Jeff Batten
10. #21 Jacob Perry
11. #15 Mike Hopkins
12. #7 Jeremy Barclay
13. #45 Kodie Conner
14. #6 Brandon Setzer
Photo finishes continued on into the Late Model Stock 150 lap feature event with veteran Bobby McCarty just edging Tyler Matthews at the line by .025 seconds.
Layne Riggs led the field to the green flag but it was McCarty who paced the field for the first fifteen laps. Riggs would briefly lead the field, as would Matthews and former Hickory winner Deac McCaskill, before Mike Looney would set sail away from the rest of the field on lap 65.
Looney looked to be the cream of the crop until the lapped car of Jonathan Shafer slide up the track destroying the nose of Looney’s #87 HarrisonWorkwear.com machine. With the good fortune McCarty inherited the lead with just forty laps remaining.
With McCarty out front it was Matthews who started chasing down the top position, but it appeared to be too little too late as the laps wound down. That all changed with a crash between Jessican Cann and Jack Wood with three laps to go.
The three lap shootout was one for the history books with McCarty and Matthews crossing the finish line side-by-side with just slight contact. For McCarty it was his third career win at the .363 mile track.
Rookie Sam Butler finished third, followed by veteran Deac McCaskill in fourth, and Daniel Silvestri rounded out the top five.
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