May 16
Needmore Speedway,
Norman Park, GA
Sanction: Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series (Gene Maine Memorial) - $7,501
Information provided by: Series and track reports (last updated May 17, 12:08 am)
Winger untouchable in Maine Memorial romp
Gene Maine Memorial
- Ashton Winger
- Mark Whitener
- Bubba Roling
- Josh Putnam
- Jeremy Steele
- Brody Smith
- Dalton Cook
- Jackson Hise
- Ryan Crane
- Matthew Taylor
- Beckham Malone
- Russell Brown Jr.
- Steven Roberts
- Wil Herrington
- Hadley Greene
- Dylan Knowles
- Jordy Nipper
- Allen Styck
- Payton Stevenson
- Trae Kirk
presented by
What won the race: Absolutely dominating the action from start-to-finish, Ashton Winger of Hampton, Ga., cruised to a runaway victory in Saturday’s seventh annual Gene Maine Memorial at Needmore Speedway. He was never remotely threatened en route to winning the 40-lap Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series feature’s $7,501 top prize by a commanding margin of 6.466 seconds over Mark Whitener.
Key notes: Winger recorded his first win of the 2026 season and the second of his career on the second-year tour. His previous Southern Thunder score came last year on July 31 at Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway. … Whitener, who won Friday’s Southern Thunder feature at Waycross (Ga.) Motor Speedway and was the 2023 Maine Memorial victor in CRUSA 604 competition, ran second for the entire distance but was over a straightaway behind Winger. … Florida’s Bubba Roling, making his second career Super Late Model start, challenged Whitener for much of the race before losing ground in the closing laps and settling for a third-place finish. … The only caution flag of the A-main came with one lap complete when Wil Herrington slid sideways between turns one and two and collected Steven Roberts and Allen Styck. … The feature lasted just over 14 minutes and had 10 cars still running at the checkered flag. … Payton Stevenson stopped on the frontstretch during the feature’s pace laps and his powerless car was pushed off the track. … The race honored the late driver of the familiar No. 201 machine, which Maine drove on a regular basis at tracks in Georgia and Florida. He was the 1997 series champion on the Ray Miller-promoted National Late Model Series.
On the move: Dalton Cook of Salem, Ala., started 15th and finished seventh.
Points chase: Before Needmore: T1. Wil Herrington (194); T1. Mark Whitener (194); 3. Josh Putnam (176); 4. Ashton Winger (170); 5. Dalton Cook (168).
Current weather: Broken Clouds, 81°F
Car count: 20
Fast qualifier: Ashton Winger
Time: 15.772 seconds
Polesitter: Ashton Winger
Next series race: June 19, Penton Raceway (Penton, AL) $5,000
Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.
