What won the race: Polesitter Wil Herrington of Hawkinsville, Ga., led all 50 laps unchallenged in winning Saturday's $10,000 Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series season opener at Cochran Motor Speedway. Herrington beat Mark Whitener to the line by 1.698 seconds for his first career Southern Thunder Series victory and fourth overall feature win of the season.

Quotable: “I wish we really wouldn’t have practiced last night, we just kinda dug ourself a hole early in the night there. Luckily, just growing up here and all y’all amazing fans, y’all are awesome,” Herrington said. “It’s cool to see y’all pack this place out, I just appreciate y’all coming and supporting this. This is cool to win in front of all y’all. We’ve done it a lot of times and it never gets any better than this.”

Key notes: Herrington bagged his first Super Late Model win since last May 25 at Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek, Md., and his first five-figure payday since last March 2 at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala., both aboard the No. 15k Bruce Kane Racing entry. ... Herrington grabbed his fourth overall win of the season and second at Cochran, adding to a March 7 Limited Late Model victory there. ... Fourth-starting Mark Whitener muscled his way by Jackson Hise for second on a lap-three restart, but never had anything for Herrington the rest of the way. ... Ninth-starting Kyle Bronson recovered to finish third after minor left-front nose damage from contact with the spinning Hise on lap four. ... Ashton Winger and Ben Watkins each improved three positions and rounded out the top-five finishers. ... Michael Page overcame a lap-three spin to finish eighth. ... The race was slowed by five cautions, the first coming on the second lap when Hunter Kohn left the turn-four racing surface; Kohn soldiered to a 16th-place result, the final starter running at the finish. ... Page and Dan Cox tangled a lap later with Cox being scored 22nd as the first retiree. ... Whitener and Hise tangled on the next restart, making contact out of turn four, sending Hise spinning down the fronstretch. Reigning series champ Dalton Cook made heavy contact with Bronson as Bronson slowed to avoid the spinning Hise; Hise and Cook continued to finish 10th and 11th, respectively. ... Ross Bailes retired from fourth under the lap-four yellow. ... Brenden Smith slowed from third for the race's fourth caution on lap 15 and did not continue. ... Landen Zakalowski slowed for the fifth and final stoppage on lap 26. ... The 50-lap season opener lasted 31 minutes with 13 starters completing the distance. ... Taylor Puckett scratched after time trials.

On the move: Payton Stevenson of Locust Grove, Ga., started 17th and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: Herrington’s self-owned Rocket Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by 5M Construction, Langenfelder Mechanical Contractors, New Point Lighting & Design, Last Air & Electrical, Limrick Truck & Equipment Repair, Scotty’s Muffler, Bryant Trice Licensed Barber, Keyser Manufacturing, Boswell Oil, VP Racing Fuels, Penske Racing Shocks, Topknotch Graphics, Velocita Suits and a special thanks to the Horne Family.

Points chase: After Cochran: 1. Wil Herrington (100); 2. Mark Whitener (94); 3. Kyle Bronson (92); 4. Ashton Winger (90); 5. Ben Watkins (88).

Current weather: Clear, 79°F

Car count: 23

Fast qualifier: Kyle Bronson

Time: 14.005 seconds

Polesitter: Wil Herrington

Heat race winners: Wil Herrington, Brody Smith, Brenden Smith, Mark Whitener

Next series race: May 9, Senoia Raceway (Senoia, GA) $10,000