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Brown Named Southern Heritage Classic Winner at Needmore

(March 29, 2025 - Norman Park, GA) – Michael Brown of Lancaster, South Carolina, emerged as the official winner of the Southern Heritage Classic at Needmore Speedway following a post-race inspection that resulted in a change to the final standings. Making his first career start with the series, Brown capitalized on late race cautions to work his way forward from his sixth-place starting position.

Mark Whitener initially took the checkered flag and led all 50 laps of the feature race, but a post-race disqualification for the Big Frog Motorsports #CO2 machine handed the win to Brown. This marked Brown’s first official start with the series, as he had previously attempted to qualify for a race at Golden Isles in 2014.

The night began with Jeremy Steele and Mark Whitener leading the 26-car field to the green flag, with Trent Ivey and Bubba Roling making up the second row. However, the race was quickly slowed by a caution on the opening lap when Matt Henderson and Josh Ray spun off turn two. Henderson, who had to switch to a backup car, was forced to drop to the tail of the field despite originally qualifying third.

Throughout the night, Steele and Ivey battled for second, but Brown methodically closed the gap following multiple restarts. A moment of concern arose on lap 31, as Brown spun after a rough restart, but due to a lineup issue, the restart was nullified, allowing him to regain his position. The race saw another shake-up on the ensuing restart when Bubba Roling suffered a flat tire, derailing his top-five run. The final caution of the night came on lap 37, when Austin Bloodworth suffered a cut tire after contact with the leader.

With the final 13 laps running under green, Whitener appeared poised to secure his 14th career series victory. However, after the race, technical inspection revealed an infraction that led to his disqualification, awarding Brown the win. Steele was elevated to second, while Pearson Lee Williams rounded out the podium with an impressive charge from 15th place.

Following the win, Brown mentioned a big thank you to car owner Wesley Page. "I mainly got to thank Wesley Page and WP Racing Shocks and Zack Smith, they have worked their tail off on this thing." He also mentioned he had never visited the Needmore Speedway previously to this weekend's event.

Brown now leads the series points heading into the next event, the Daniel Lambert Memorial at Screven Motor Speedway on April 11-12, another $10,000-to-win showdown.

Official Race Results – Southern Heritage Classic at Needmore Speedway
1-75 – Michael Brown [6]
2-22S – Jeremy Steele [2]
3-21 – Pearson Williams [15]
4-G4 – Trent Ivey [4]
5-22T – Jimmy Thomas [7]
6-18 – Matt Dooley [17]
7-16 – Caleb Gay [21]
8-18B – Austin Yarbrough [8]
9-615 – Colton Trouille [9]
10-22 – Matt Henderson [3]
11-6 – Kyle Bridges [12]
12-611 – Koulten Herbert [24]
13-58 – Trent McLeod [13]
14-87 – Jake Rainey [22]
15-515 – Bubba Roling [5]
16-77 – Josh Ray [23]
17-24J – Steven Jernigan [16]
18-12C – Chase Giddens [25]
19-2 – Trynt Lloyd [10]
20-32 – Bobby Mills [26]
21-92 – Joseph Brown [14]
22-24B – Austin Bloodworth [11]
23-74 – Jason Garver [19]
24-121 – Blake Craft [18]
25-5 – Bubba Whitener [20]
(DQ) C02 – Mark Whitener [1]

Additional Awards & Highlights
Scorpion Race Cars - Hard Charger Award:
Caleb Gay (+14) 21st to 7th

Columbus Sports Card - Tough Luck Award:
Austin Bloodworth – McIntyre, GA

MyRacePass / Fantasy Racing - Hot Laps:
Steven Jernigan – Milton, FL | 16.318

Bama Sheds & Pole Barns - Pole Award:
Mark Whitener | 15.691

Heat Race Winners – Sponsored by Chevrolet Performance
Heat 1 | Jeremy Steele – York, SC
Heat 2 | Trent Ivey – Union, SC
Heat 3 | Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL
Heat 4 | Matt Henderson – Lenoir City, TN

B-Main Winners – Sponsored by Rogers-Dabbs Chevrolet
B-Main 1 | Matt Dooley – Brooks, GA
B-Main 2 | Blake Craft – Canon, GA

CRUSA Points Standings (Following Needmore)
1-Michael Brown – 100 points
2-Jeremy Steele – 96 (-4)
3-Pearson Williams – 94 (-6)
4-Trent Ivey – 92 (-8)
5-Jimmy Thomas – 90 (-10)
6-Matt Dooley – 88 (-12)
7-Caleb Gay – 86 (-14)
8-Austin Yarbrough – 84 (-16)
9-Colton Trouille – 82 (-18)
10-Matt Henderson – 80 (-20)

Next Event
April 11-12 – Screven Motor Speedway (Sylvania, GA)
Inaugural Daniel Lambert Memorial – $10,000 to Win

A special thanks to our partners: Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts, Chevrolet Performance, Hoosier Racing Tires, VP Racing Fuels, VP Racing Lubricants, Knowles Race Parts and Bodies, Competition Racing Equipment, Cruise with the Champions, Savage Chassis, Velocita by Melissa Markewitz, Bama Sheds & Pole Barns, MatMan Designs, O'Reilly Auto Parts, JCB WesPro, Scorpion Race Cars, Columbus Sports Cards, and MyRacePass for their continued support of the series.

For more information, visit our official website or follow us on social media.

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