Hickory, NC(July 11, 2009) -- The stage was set, entries sent in, advance tickets sold, t-shirts had been printed, many businesses had given prizes to be given away to the fans ... but, no one expected the stands to be completely packed, the pits filled to the brim and the racing to be the most intense ever on "America's Most Famous Short Track".

The second annual Dwight Huffman Memorial had everyone racing Late Model Stock Cars a buzz for weeks prior to the event and when the day finally came all the hard work that the Hickory Motor Speedway and Dwight Huffman Charities staff had put into this event paid dividends. The $7,007 winners purse was enough to lure some of the biggest names in Late Model Stock Car racing to Hickory's 3/8 mile track and the one's who would benefit would be the fans.

The grandstands were overflowing by race time, but the drama started much earlier in the day as the cars hit the track for practice. In the first few laps of the first practice session as young Brennan Poole was getting his car up to speed he was clipped in the right front fender by his chassis builder, Greg Marlowe, who was making his first start in nearly seven years.

Then late in the second practice session things began to unravel for a few drivers. Coleman Pressley and Ryan Rust made contact when Rust came down across the track to pit and found Pressley already on the bottom of the track to pit. Rust loaded up and headed home while Pressley rebuilt the front of his car and got it back ready to go for the race.

When qualifying rolled off for the 41-car field they were divided into two separate groups and when the first group had completed qualifying, Chris Lawson found himself atop the board with Kyle Grissom second. When the second group hit the track everyone knew there would be some top guys gunning to knock Lawson off the pole and it didn't take long to find out who would be atop the list. First Andy Mercer took the pole, then was quickly bumped by Matt McCall and it looked like it would be an all Pistone LTO front row, but "The Missile" hadn't hit the track yet.

Paddy Rodenbeck, who is affectionately known as "The Missile" because he's always fast and he proved it once again as he went out and blistered the track turning the fastest lap of the day at a 15.178, which was just slightly faster than McCall's 15.208 second lap. The line-up had now been set and with Rodenbeck on the pole it was shaping up to be an interesting race when the green flag was ready to fly.

The line-up for the race behind Rodenbeck and McCall showed an all-star group of drivers with Mercer, Lawson, Grissom, Shane Huffman, Ashley Huffman, Steven Wallace, Ty Dillon and Jesse LeFevers rounding out the top ten starters. Other heavy hitters were spread throughout the field including; Dexter Canipe, Jr.(13th), Coleman Pressley(14th), Clay Rogers(15th), Jamey Caudill(17th), BJ Mackey(18th), Jamie Yelton(22nd), Brennan Poole(23rd), Jake Crum(25th), Dennis Setzer(26th), Greg Marlowe(30th) and Marc Davis(33rd).

Absent from the starting line-up was last years Dwight Huffman Memorial winner, Andy Loden, who had come to the track in a Billy Hess owned car, but first failed to make the race through time trials after never really getting up to speed in practice and then withdrew from the starting line-up after receiving one of the "Promoters Options" provisionals. Loden had to be the most disappointed driver not making the field for this race, but the way his season has been it seems he can't do anything right.

Other drivers missing the race; Rob Fuller, Toby Parese, Bobby Griffin and Clinton Baker. All those guys attempted to run the consi-race for the final two spots in the field, but were unsuccessful in their attempt. Chris Lewis and JR Allen made the race through the consi finishing first and second among the seven drivers competing in the last chance race.

After a long hot day the air began to cool over the track, but that meant it was about time to see sparks fly as the 34-car starting field was ready to heat the track up and give the overflowing crowd in the stands something to cheer about. As the drivers were being introduced, trackside announcer, Doug Houser offered the "Renegade Challenge", which allows one of the top six qualifiers to go to the rear of the field and take a chance to double the purse .... making the winners share $14,014. Rodenbeck was first offered and declined, but hometown favorite and 2004 track champion, McCall was game for the challenge.

With the green flag set to wave it was Rodenbeck and Mercer actually leading the field to the green and McCall was at the back hoping and praying that he could make it through the field without major incident. On the start Rodenbeck did just like he did two weeks ago when he started from the pole of the UARA-STARS Series race and set sail, but just five laps into the race the first caution was waving over the field.

Brian Curry went for a spin all by himself and luckily wasn't hit after contact with "Forest City Bad Boy", Jamie Yelton turned him around. Several drivers had to take evasive action including Yelton's young protege`, Brennan Poole, but this would be the first of many accidents that he would have to miss on the night. The field doubled back up as the race would run under the regular track rules which includes double file restarts and Mercer again would have his shot on the outside, but Rodenbeck proved he was strong pulling away again.

On the first couple of starts it looked as if Lawson might have something for the front two guys as he nosed under Rodenbeck on the restarts, but to no avail as he would soon be making his way down pit road under green. Lawson's window net had come loose and while it was still up, he was doing all he could to hold it up and get it back hooked up, but after he nearly lost it, the officials noticed and brought him down pit road. This would be the beginning of Lawson's troubles and his night would go south a little later.

At this point Rodenbeck was putting some distance on the field and had Mercer and Grissom well behind him, but as the story goes the caution was about to wave again. Lawson would be the culprit of the latest caution as he gets tagged by Candace Muzny and cuts down a tire, the young driver decides to park it after having such a good run go terribly wrong. The fun part was hearing his explanation and watching his hands as he tried to explain how he was driving with his knee and trying to get the window net hooked back up ... all while running third!

Before this latest caution, Jamey Caudill, who didn't have a very impressive qualifying effort parked his car as he didn't want to get it all torn up with all the beating and banging going on considering where he was running. Kyle Moon also pits and ends up parking his ride for the night after repeated contact with Muzny damages his car and he's unable to continue.

As the green flag flies the top five is Rodenbeck, Mercer, Grissom, Wallace and S. Huffman and this time Mercer's not going away without a fight and on lap 52 he powers into the lead. His lead under the green flag would be short lived however as the caution waved when Yelton broke a hub and slammed into the side of James Goff. Goff got turned around and JR Allen ends up piling into the crash ending Goff and Allen's night. This was another incident that Poole would avoid as he drove high around the crashing cars and kept going.

The green flag waved and just as quickly we were back under the yellow flag as Kaleb Pressley, Curry and Davis go spinning around in turn one and this time it's Chris Lewis doing a great job to avoid the accident. Shortly after we go back to green flag racing McCall is making his presence known as he has worked his way inside the top ten and looks to a threat to take home the $7,007 bonus in the "Renegade Challenge".

Another driver, who started in the back was Jake Crum, who started 25th, but he has worked his way inside the top ten and looks like he might have a good car as the laps continue to click off. On lap 80 while Mercer was out front, Rodenbeck reels him back in and they begin going door to door for the top spot and Rodenbeck goes back to the point. As Rodenbeck goes back into the lead he brought along Wallace, who shuffled Mercer back to third.

Around the halfway point of the race Rodenbeck still held the lead, but a lap 107 caution would bunch the field up again and that's when Wallace pounces on Rodenbeck slamming into him and putting him up nearly into the outside wall. Wallace goes to the lead and Rodenbeck skates around the outside as his team grabs a tire on pit road and prepares in case he has a flat, but after the caution waved, Rodenbeck gathered himself up and continued without coming to pit road.

Mercer then found himself back in the lead with the Rodenbeck and Wallace scuffle with Wallace, McCall, Grissom and Coleman Pressley recovering from his practice issues to run fifth at lap 109. On the restart Rodenbeck will be starting from deep in the field and McCall finds himself looking even better for a chance to win the "Renegade Challenge" sitting in third. This is the point in which Mercer began to fade and what started out as his night to shine turned into a tough night at the track as he loses the lead to Wallace then second to McCall.

Jordan McGregor and Muzny bring out the latest caution as they get together for position and that will end Muzny's night and despite a lot of damage to McGregor's car, he continues to soldier on. The green flag goes back in the air and Wallace puts his car out in front of the field with McCall second and Coleman Pressley working on Mercer for third and eventually getting the spot. Then soon Mercer cuts down a tire and comes to rest up next to the wall in turn four bringing out yet another caution.

After going back green, McCall grabs the lead after starting dead last for the "Renegade Challenge" and looks to be strong out front, but the caution flies once again as Setzer and Gifford get tangled up in turn three and take a couple more cars with them including LeFevers and Josh Wimbish. Setzer and Gifford had tangled many laps earlier with Setzer getting completely sideways, but gathering his car up to avoid a caution ... the two weren't that lucky this time.

Early leader, Rodenbeck has worked his way back into the top ten after his bump with Wallace and McCall on the restart gets a little loose, but keeps the lead over Wallace. At lap 150 the mandatory caution waves as the crews will have seven minutes to look over their cars, fill up with gas and get ready for a 27-lap shootout to the finish. Under this caution McCall leads, Wallace, Grissom, Coleman Pressley and Jake Crum, who remember started 25th, but worked his way through the field along with McCall.

The field goes back green and then back to caution on lap 158 as Coleman Pressley cuts down a tire after losing fourth to Crum and spins and LeFevers night is also done as he cuts down a tire and parks for the night. As the field restarts the caution waves again as Ashley Huffman gets spun after contact with Setzer, but luck was running out for Huffman as his night was about to be over.

As Mercer was making his way back through the field from his earlier cut tire, he and McGregor make contact and the two crash with Ashley Huffman and Dexter Canipe, Jr. getting together hard. Both of those cars for Huffman and Canipe look to have serious damage and will not return for the finish. Tough luck for Huffman, who was racing in honor of his father Dwight for which this race is named after. This incident puts the field under the red flag, but before that wreck the two leaders McCall and Wallace were bumping and rubbing for the top spot.

This most recent incident ends Mercer's night as well as he was trying to get the best finish possible considering that he's the points leader. Another one of the regulars, young David Wilson looks to be having a strong late race run and is up to fifth with all the crashes eliminating the competition. Wilson drove a smart race and found himself right in the thick of things when it matter most.

With 14 laps to go the green flag goes back in the air and McCall fends off several challenges from Wallace as the two go side by side for the next few laps and put some distance on third place, Grissom. Grissom was the next victim as he fell out of the race with mechanical issues moving Rodenbeck to third. Rodenbeck then inherited the second position when Wallace began developing engine issues and pulled into the pits ending his night.

Through all the calamity and the carnage, Matt McCall looked like a genius taking the Randolph's Billiards "Renegade Challenge" and driving through the field with not much more than a scratch on his car before battling with Wallace for the lead late. McCall would come home with the win in the second annual Dwight Huffman Memorial race. Rodenbeck would finish second with Wilson coming home third with few battle scars on his car.

Jake Crum would finish fourth after having a shot at a top three finish fade late with Dennis Setzer overcoming an ill-handling car to finish fifth. Poole, who dodged wrecks all night long would come home sixth with Marc Davis seventh, Jordan McGregor eighth, Greg Marlowe ninth and Grant Wimbish tenth.

Is was surely one of the longest races I've ever been to, but the race lived up to the hype and answered the question of whether this was the "Greatest Race in Hickory's LMSC History?" ... It was and not just because the race was awesome, but also because the names in the field, the guys who have made Late Model Stock Car racing popular in this region.

Stay tuned to RACE22.com this week as we'll have more from the Second Annual Dwight Huffman Memorial and be sure to check out our Photos from the race at http://photos.RACE22.com