Thursday night’s Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout featured the thrills and action race fans have waited months for at Volusia Speedway Park.
Before the USCS 360 Sprint Cars hit the racetrack, the 3/4 Modifieds provided the excitement and close-quarters racing in their 15-lap Feature to begin their 2024 season.
Pierson, FL’s Colton Lane led the field to green, quickly claiming the lead and distancing his #26L away from Lake Helen, FL’s Timmy Hogan.
Hogan never gave up, attempting the high and low lines to close the gap while Lane continued to keep his space.
Multiple cautions gave the pack attempts to chase down the leaders – Lane quickly separated himself from the field while Hogan followed in hot pursuit.
As Lane approached lap traffic, Hogan closed in on him as the laps ticked closer toward the finish.
With two laps to go, Lane got stuck behind a lapped car and Hogan swung by him for the lead with the white flag in the air. Hogan crossed the line to secure the first Feature win of 2024.
Hogan credited Lane and his team for their efforts, and hopes he can carry this momentum into the season-opening points race on March 23 after 2023 saw him win five Feature races that did not count for points.
“That was all a lucky break,” Hogan said. “That #26L was fast man. Him and his dad George have done their homework on the car. The Minchew family have been helping them a lot. They got it hooked up there. I think I’m running out of gear and I needed to take a little bit of gear out of it and get a little bit more speed. I don’t know. I can’t seem to get a points win. I won five races last year and none of them were for points so I finished fifth in the (track championship) points. If I can carry this momentum into the points season I think we might have something for them this year.”
Though he was disappointed from finishing after leading the majority of the Feature, Lane knows he has a fast car and will be ready to chase redemption.
“We had a fast race car tonight,” Lane said. “We got some new sponsors on the #26L and I’m looking to come back here tomorrow night and finish one spot ahead.”
Jacksonville, FL’s Dalton Hopke completed the night’s podium after beating Deland, FL’s Ethyn Hwan in a highly contested duel throughout the Feature race.
Rounding out the night’s top-five finishers was Deland, FL’s Paul Shead, who was the night’s Hard Charger after gaining three spots in the Feature.
UP NEXT: The 3/4 Modifieds join the USCS Sprint Cars for two more nights of the Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout, Jan. 26-27. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision – available either online or through the DIRTVision App.
Feature (15 Laps): 1. 26-Timmy Hogan[2]; 2. 26L-Colton Lane[1]; 3. H1-Dalton Hopke[3]; 4. 57-Ethyn Hwan[4]; 5. 16-Paul Shead[8]; 6. 117-Brad Fender[5]; 7. 48-Rusty Young[7]; 8. 27-Steven Powers[9]; 9. 51-Dustin Peterson[6]; 10. 55-Dustin Childers[11]; 11. 3X-Scott Durlin[12]; 12. 5-Nathan Rhoades[13]; 13. 59-Robert Bowen[16]; 14. (DNF) 88F-Aidan Foley[17]; 15. (DNF) 9-Logan Malone[10]; 16. (DNF) 29-Nathyn Hwan[15]; 17. (DNS) 32P-Cliff Jameson