LUCAMA — Brandon Clements scored his first Southern National Motorsports Park Limited Late Model win since 2012 in spectacular fashion, holding off Tony Grady in a breathtaking duel in Sunday’s finale of the rescheduled Thanksgiving Classic that was rained out in November.

Clements, who won the track championship at Carteret County Speedway in 2018 in a Wendell Davis-prepared Limited Late Model, started Sunday’s 75-lap sprint in the fifth position and methodically worked his way towards the front. In the final laps of the race, race leader Tony Grady spun off Clements’ back bumper, but was able to quickly recover and, on a late race restart, rocketed past Clements to take the lead.

Clements, however, saved his best for last. Coming to the white flag, Clements made his move and completed the pass on Grady one final time to take the lead — and the win.

“We had to work for that one,” Clements said. “It was good hard racing with Tony. I hate that we got together there but, it is what it is. We got to race it out at the end, that’s all that matters. Wendell Davis gave us a hot rod today. Just want to thank Wendell Davis and all our sponsors and see if we can’t do this the rest of the year here.”

After the race, Grady did not harbor any resentment towards Clements and chalked up their physical battles on track to being hard racing.

“Brandon had a little better car when it counted,” Grady said. “Just that lapped car, that lapped car screwed me up so bad. My plan was to get him in between me and Brandon. I don’t know what was wrong with that guy. Brandon just, I don’t know what he was doing. He just drove up to me, got into me and turned me around. It was nothing intentional, just good hard racing. I wanted him to take the outside there and he just rooted me out of the way. I did the same to him. When we do it again, it might be his turn, but that was a great race. Just hard racing.” 

Clements had to change a motor Saturday after blowing an engine in practice.

Jonathan Kornegay finished third, Louis White fourth, and Ronald Renfrow fifth.  Daniel Vuncannon, Amber Slagle, Karl Budzevski, Michael O’Brien and Boo Boo Dalton rounded out the top 10.

 

Results

1. Brandon Clements

2. Tony Grady

3. Johnathan Kornegay

4. Louis White

5. Ronald Renfrow

6. Daniel Vuncannon

7. Amber Slagle

8. Karl Budzevski

9. Michael O’Brien

10. Boo Boo Dalton

11. Carter Langley

12. Conner Jones

13. Camden Gullie

14. Zachary Marks

15. Chris Honeycutt