Trae Kirk Captures First Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series Victory at Winder-Barrow Speedway

Taking advantage of an opening lap pileup, fourth-starting Trae Kirk moved up a row for the subsequent restart, grabbed the lead, and controlled the entire feature distance on Saturday night at Winder-Barrow Speedway to capture his first career Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series victory!  In a wild 50-lapper that lasted 88 minutes - mostly due to the opening lap incident and a lap ten pileup that wadded up over half of the field - Trae stayed cool and calm out front to collect the $5,000 first place prize money.  In addition, the young Monroe, Georgia ace claimed an additional $1,000 bonus for the highest combined finish from the SAS doubleheader weekend at Hartwell and Winder.

Finishing 0.739 of a second back at the unfurling of the checkered flag was runner-up Kenny Collins, who was awarded a $2,500 payday for his efforts.  Tenth-starting Jimmy Johnson rounded out the podium in third, while Billy Franklin improved nine positions to leave the Peach State with a fourth place effort.  Sylvan Schuette, who started twelfth on the grid, was involved in multiple wrecks and battled from the back twice to salvage a strong fifth place performance.

“I got lucky on that initial start of the race and was able to move up a row,” quoted the winning Kirk Saturday night at the Winder, Georgia facility.  “I hate that happened to Tucker (Anderson), I don’t like for anybody to be taken out of a race early like that.  He would have been one in contention for sure.  I got a jump on the next restart, got the lead, and was running the top for most of the race until my guys told me to move down.  Kenny Collins was coming, but we were able to get the job done!”

Trae Kirk steered a #66 Longhorn Chassis with sponsorship in part from Atha Equipment Rental, Monroe Automotive and Tire, Foy Septic, The Towers at Snows Mill, J Key Homes, State Mechanical Heating & Air, Christie Dove Insurance, Expo Homes, Chatham & Sons LLC, SKJ Performance Engineering, Collins Signs, GW Performance, and Ultimate Racing Helmets.

A total of 20 competitors were in the pit area at Winder-Barrow Speedway on Saturday for the seventh round of the Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Showtime Properties season.  Trae Kirk came out swinging right of the trailer, as he posted the fastest lap in MRP Fantasy Racing hot laps with a quick time of 13.697 seconds.  Payton Stevenson then stole the show in VP Racing Fuels time trials by lowering the Super Late Model track record with a lap of 13.760 seconds.  The Locust Grove, Georgia driver’s night took a turn in the feature; however, as Payton was involved in a couple of incidents and was ultimately disqualified due to crew member actions on the racing surface during a red flag situation.

The Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Showtime Properties will take the remainder of the month of April off, but will return to action on May 1-2 in the state of Alabama.  On that Friday night, West Alabama Speedway in Winfield, Alabama will preside over a $5,000 to win shootout, while a $7,500 payday will be up for grabs at Buckshot Speedway in Clanton, Alabama on that Saturday evening.  Billy Franklin is the defending winner of the ‘Battle in the Sandbox’ at West Alabama Speedway, while last year’s stop at Buckshot Speedway was canceled due to inclement weather.

Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Showtime Properties
Round 7 Race Summary
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Winder-Barrow Speedway - Winder, Georgia

American Racer Tires Feature Finish (50 Laps):
1. (4) Trae Kirk $5,000
2. (7) Kenny Collins $2,500
3. (10) Jimmy Johnson $1,500
4. (13) Billy Franklin $1,200
5. (12) Sylvan Schuette $900
6. (6) Kendall Franklin $800
7. (20) Chuck Southard $700
8. (17) John Anderson $650
9. (16) James Nash $625
10. (18) Dillon Daves $600
11. (15) Will Hicks $580
12. (5) Chris Woods $560
13. (9) James Cason $550
14. (8) Jamie Oliver $540
15. (11) Evan Bell $530
16. (19) Ken Lampp $520
17. (14) Blake Craft $510
18. (2) Tucker Anderson $500
19. (3) Wil Herrington DNS
20. (1) Payton Stevenson DQ

Entries:  20
Lap Leaders:  Trae Kirk (Laps 1-50)
Deatherage Opticians 4th Place Finisher ($50.00 Product Certificate):  Billy Franklin
Deatherage Opticians 13th Place Finisher ($50.00 Product Certificate):  James Cason

MRP Fantasy Racing Hot Laps:
Fastest Lap Overall:  Trae Kirk 13.697

VP Racing Fuels Time Trials:
Fast Time Overall:  Payton Stevenson 13.760 - NEW TRACK RECORD

Full Qualifying Rundown (Set Lineup for 50-Lap Feature):  1. 24-Payton Stevenson, 13.760[9]; 2. 22-Tucker Anderson, 13.891[15]; 3. 14H-Wil Herrington, 13.930[2]; 4. 66-Trae Kirk, 13.951[10]; 5. 17-Chris Woods, 14.022[11]; 6. 317-Kendall Franklin, 14.114[5]; 7. 1C-Kenny Collins, 14.141[17]; 8. 38-Jamie Oliver, 14.244[18]; 9. 105-James Cason, 14.314[13]; 10. 98-Jimmy Johnson, 14.388[4]; 11. 97-Evan Bell, 14.407[7]; 12. 14-Sylvan Schuette, 14.448[6]; 13. 17F-Billy Franklin, 14.466[1]; 14. 121-Blake Craft, 14.627[3]; 15. 15-Will Hicks, 14.628[12]; 16. 128-James Nash, 14.695[20]; 17. 7-John Anderson, 14.696[19]; 18. 35-Dillon Daves, 14.793[16]; 19. 1K-Ken Lampp, 14.835[8]; 20. 108-Chuck Southard, 14.879[14]

Current Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series Point Standings:
1. Tucker Anderson - 1130
2. Billy Franklin - 1072
3. Kendall Franklin - 1066
4. Dillon Daves - 1054
5. Will Hicks - 935
6. Payton Stevenson - 854
7. Payton Freeman - 609
8. Brandon Overton - 592
9. Garrett Smith - 552
10. Trent Ivey - 538

2026 Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series Schedule:
February 5 - Screven Motor Speedway (Sylvania, GA) - RAINED OUT
February 6 - Screven Motor Speedway (Sylvania, GA) - BRANDON OVERTON
February 7 - Screven Motor Speedway (Sylvania, GA) - BRANDON OVERTON
March 6 - Penton Raceway (Lafayette, AL) - TUCKER ANDERSON
March 7 - North Georgia Speedway (Chatsworth, GA) - PPD TO 3/12
March 12 - North Georgia Speedway (Chatsworth, GA) - RAINED OUT
March 20 - Modoc Speedway (Modoc, SC) - BRANDON OVERTON
March 21 - Cherokee Speedway (Gaffney, SC) - CHRIS MADDEN
April 10 - Hartwell Speedway (Hartwell, GA) - TUCKER ANDERSON
April 11 - Winder-Barrow Speedway (Winder, GA) - TRAE KIRK
May 1 - West Alabama Speedway (Winfield, AL) - $5,000 to win
May 2 - Buckshot Speedway (Clanton, AL) - $7,500 to win
May 15 - Golden Mountain Speedway (Sparta, TN) - $5,000 to win
May 16 - Duck River Raceway Park (Wheel, TN) - $5,000 to win
June 12 - Cochran Motor Speedway (Cochran, GA) - $TBA to win
June 13 - Senoia Raceway (Senoia, GA) - $7,500 to win
July 3 - I-75 Raceway (Sweetwater, TN) - $5,000 to win
August 14 - To Be Announced
August 15 - Thunderhill Raceway (Summertown, TN) - $5,026 to win
August 28 - Ponderosa Speedway (Junction City, KY) - $7,500 to win
August 29 - Lake Cumberland Speedway (Burnside, KY) - $12,022 to win
September 4 - Lavonia Speedway (Lavonia, GA) - $5,004 to win
September 5 - To Be Announced
September 6 - Tazewell Speedway (Tazewell, TN) - $5,000 to win
September 17 - Volunteer Speedway (Bulls Gap, TN) - $10,018 to win
October 9 - North Georgia Speedway (Chatsworth, GA) - $TBA to win
October 10 - Dixie Speedway (Woodstock, GA) - $TBA to win
October 25 - Cherokee Speedway (Gaffney, SC) - $30,000 to win

The Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series presented by Showtime Properties would like to thank all of our marketing partners including Showtime Properties, American Racer Tires, J&J Construction, VP Racing Fuels, ArrowVision.Live, Coltman Farms Racing, Southern Racing Enterprise, Deatherage Opticians, Fullmoon Graphics, Gentry Used Auto Parts & Recycling, RockAuto.com, Knowles Race Parts & Bodies, Olivia Gentry Real Estate, MD3 Body Panels, Delph Communications, and Rugged Radios.

Media Contact:  Ryan Delph - Delph Communications
www.DelphCommunications.com

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