August 11, 2024

Chip Brindle knows his way around the hills of North Georgia, and on Saturday he claimed another victory in his stomping grounds. The Chatsworth, Georgia native piloted his no. 17 machine to victory lane after an eventful final five laps in the American Racer 604 Crate Late Model 40-lap feature.

Qualifying went well for Brindle, with him starting alongside pole winner Mitchell Stanley, who laid down the fast time of 15.109 seconds. Brindle would go onto the heat races and win over Will Roland’s no. 22 machine by a margin of just under one second.

Brindle stated at the end of qualifying, “Man I thought I had [Stanley], he just got in there a little better than I did I guess. I don’t know, but I know we have a fast car and look to get it done here tonight at the Creek.”

The battle for the race began as soon as the green flag dropped. Stanley and Brindle would exchange blows early, swapping paint lap after lap. A caution on lap 12 would bring the field back together after the no. 11 of Sam Ellison would spin mid pack. On lap 30, the lapped car of Johnny Cloer would get loose in front of our leaders, slowing down Stanley and bringing Brindle right back into the mix.

Lapped traffic would play a crucial role in the outcome of the race. On lap 35, the lead car of Mitchell Stanley collided with the lap car of A.J. Weeks. Brindle would avoid the commotion, but Stanley, Weeks, and the third place machine of Will Roland were caught in the melee.

The ensuing restart would see the no. 17 side-by-side with the no. 20 of Devin Stuart. As the white flag flew, Brindle would sprint ahead of Stuart, taking home the American Racer 604 feature’s $3000 grand prize.

604 Crate Late Model Feature Results

1. Chip Brindle
2. Devin Stuart
3. Dylan Perry
4. Zach Leonhardi
5. Ross White
6. Cade Brookshire
7. Junior Whitener
8. Ray Cook
9. Seth Wimpey
10. Shawn Chastain
11. Alden Morgan -1 lap
12. Cody Gloyne -1 lap
13. Josh Amacher -2 laps
14. Mitchell Stanley -5 laps
15. Will Roland -5 laps
16. A.J. Weeks -6 laps
17. Johnny Cloer -7 laps
18. Matt Shannon -18 laps
19. Jeff Jackson -18 laps
20. Sam Ellison -29 laps
21. Andrew Littleton – DNS
22. Tucker Anderson – DNS

Other Feature Winners:

Limited Late Models – Dante Curtis

602 Late Models – Cooper Twiggs

Open Wheel Modifieds – Brawley Stillwell

Street Stocks – Troy Turner

FWD – Jason Young

Pony – Cornbread Chinn

Strictly Stock – Chris Meinders

The next event for Sugar Creek Raceway is set to be on August 24th with the Southern All Star Super Late Model Series. This event will be known as the 3rd Annual Russell Thomas Memorial, with a prize pool of $5057. The racing will include Super Late Models, 604 Late Models, 602 Late Models, and more.

Cover Photo: Steve Newbold/Liberty Racing Review