3/5/2023
Chris Ferguson
Chris Ferguson collects $20,000 March Madness at Cherokee
Chris Ferguson enjoyed a successful debut of his brand-new Diff-Tran Machining No. 22 Schaffer’s Racing Oil K & K Trucking / Live Oak Aesthetic and Family Dentistry / Longhorn Chassis / Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model on Sunday afternoon.
The driver known as “Fergy” stormed to the $20,000 Southern All Star (SAS) Dirt Racing Series triumph in the Ginger Owens Memorial March Madness at South Carolina’s Cherokee Speedway. He persevered in the tire conservation game to claim the richest payday in the history of the event.
"It's amazing. This place has been awesome to me. It's taken a lot from me. I've had a lot of races here I should've won," Ferguson said in Victory Lane. "Man, I was just praying that we would make it, you know? I got back there in fifth and just rode.
"I've been leading this race and been on the other end of it. It's taken some wins from me, but I just can't thank the good Lord enough. He gave me this win and here we are."
Debuting in a brand-new Longhorn Chassis, Chris Ferguson made the short trip to Cherokee Speedway (Gaffney, S.C.) on Sunday afternoon to pilot his Live Oak Aesthetic and Family Dentistry No. 22 Late Model in the annual Ginger Owens March Madness.
Drawing 29 Southern All Star Series entries, Ferguson followed up the third-fastest qualifying lap in his group with a second-place finish in his heat race. A year after suffering a flat tire while leading the same event in the final laps, Chris was on the receiving end of good fortune in the feature as he grabbed the lead on lap 36 and led the remaining 15 circuits to bag his first win of 2023 and a $20,000 paycheck.
He recorded his third-career Southern All Star Series victory ahead of his cousin Carson with Caleb Gay, Dillon Brown, and Ryan Gustin completing the Top-5 finishers.
Ferguson's voice cracked in Victory Lane because the team is racing without former crew member and transporter driver Robert "Paw Paw" Bramlett, who died Friday at the age of 71, and another crew member's mother who died recently.
"I'm just so thankful because all these people ... there's nowhere else like this track," Ferguson said while soaking up the victory. "To me, this is special. All these people in Victory Lane and all these people that pulled for me. I'm just so grateful and thankful for you guys."
Full results from the event are available at www.SASDirt.com.
Chris will be idle this coming weekend before returning to competition on March 16-18 with a World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series tripleheader. Action opens with the rescheduled $10,000-to-win Tennessee Tip-Off Classic at Smoky Mountain Speedway (Maryville, Tenn.) on Thursday night before rolling into Boyd’s Speedway (Ringgold, Ga.) on Friday and Saturday for respective $10,000-to-win and $20,000-to-win programs.
For more information on the events, please visit www.SmokyMountainSpeedway.com and www.BoydsSpeedway.com .
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