"My grandfather had something to do with the event back in the '70s when Sammy (Swindell) won both races," he said. "To bring this race back and be able to keep the win in the family is pretty special."

Hagar opened the event on Friday by qualifying ninth quickest in his group. He then won a heat race to accumulate enough points to lock into the 10 th starting position in the A Main.

"Momentum was a big key from sweeping the weekend before," he said. "I knew we needed to do what we normally do and make good laps. The track slicked off pretty quickly in the feature and played into my favor. I think I passed four cars going into turn three on the third or fourth lap. I dove it to the bottom and it stuck. We got by some really good cars to race into the top four. Hank Davis got up on the fence and was able to keep going, but it kind of messed his car up. We ended up having a red flag when Sam (Hafertepe Jr.) crashed so that put me up to second. I made quick work of Anton Hernandez and was able to make my laps the way I wanted for the rest of the race."

Hagar took the lead just before the midpoint of the race and pulled away for the triumph. The victory was his 11 th triumph of the season and it locked him into a dash position for Saturday's $10,000-to-win finale.

"All we had to do was hot lap and pill draw for the dash," he said. "They did the revenge draw so I knew I was probably going to end up with the six (out of six). We started sixth and was able to run fifth so that put us starting fifth in the feature. We had a tight race car early. We got by a couple of guys in front of us and into the top three fairly quick. I was trying everything I could do to get by Hank and Jordon (Mallett). I knew I wasn't going to pass them following them. I started pulling the wing back and floating the middle. I tried something different and it worked out in our favor."

Hagar got to second place near the middle of the race and he chased Mallett lap after lap before taking the lead with seven circuits remaining. The victory was his 10 th career with the ASCS National Tour.

"The power steering fitting in the pump broke," he said. "Right when I got by Jordon I started losing steering so I ran the last five or six laps with no power steering. I was thinking in my head, 'Oh no, not now. Why now?' But it worked out and we were able to hold on to the win."

Hagar returns to the track this weekend to drive for Paul Hart during the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series doubleheader on Friday and Saturday. Hagar set his career-best World of Outlaws result of 11 th place at the track during the series' most recent visit in April 2018.

QUICK RESULTS -

Oct. 18 - Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. - Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 1 (10).

Oct. 19 - Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. - Dash: 5 (6); Feature: 1 (5).

SEASON STATS -

34 races, 12 wins, 22 top fives, 27 top 10s, 29 top 15s, 29 top 20s

UP NEXT -

Friday and Saturday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., for the Bull Ring Blitz with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

MEDIA LINKS -

Website: http://www.DerekHagarRacing.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dhrracing

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT - B & D Towing and Recovery

Since 2002, B & D Towing and Recovery, which is located in Marion, Ark., has been the exclusive source for professional towing, recover and transport by major Memphis truck dealerships, parcel delivery companies, nationwide trucking firms and more. For more information, visit http://www.BnDTowing.com .

"B & D Towing supports racing," Hagar said. "They can help anyone in the Memphis area. For anyone who needs a hand, B & D is recommended to save the day."

Hagar would like to thank Nutrien Ag Solutions, Sonic of Dyersburg, Keith Jones Promotions, Boat Warehouse, West Tennessee Expediting, Inc., Ameri-Panel, J&J Auto Racing, B & D Towing and Recovery, FK Rod Ends, Dynotech Performance Race Engines, A.M.P., Fragola Performance Systems, Administrative Consulting Services, Killer Coatings, Beazt Composites, Xtreme Race Graphics, Southern Collision Centre, AR Dyno Specialty, Jeff's Heating and Cooling, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Weld Wheels, DHR Suspension, Hinchman Racewear, Wix Filters, Valvoline, Ti64 and Builtwiser Wings for their continued support.

Starks was solid throughout the three-day show, which he began on Thursday by qualifying eighth quickest in his group. A fifth-place finish in a heat race was followed by a run from seventh to fourth place in a B Main to transfer into the main event. Starks advanced from 20 th to 15 th in the feature.

"The first night out in a new car to me it was about getting comfortable," he said. "The most gains we made was on Thursday. I wasn't as comfortable as I needed when we started and we kept getting better. We passed some cars and took what we could when we could, but didn't push the issue. We rolled the car into the trailer in one piece and knew we had a baseline for the next day."

Friday started off on a better note with Starks timing in second quickest in his group. He then hustled from sixth to second place in a heat race to garner the 10 th starting position in the main event.

"I felt awesome starting with hot laps," he said. "We went out late in our qualifying group and the track was getting tricky. We were able to go second quick and I felt really comfortable to run the car hard. Then in our heat race I felt awesome. We were tied for third in points so we started 10th. We got to eighth, but on a restart we got collected with a car that was crashing in front of us. We really had nowhere to go and we sustained some damage on the car and it flattened our right rear tire. We barely got back out from the work area and had some other damage that affected the car and we finished 19th."

The event concluded on Saturday with Starks placing sixth in a heat race. A second-place showing in the 25-lap B Main scored a transfer into the A Main, which was inverted. That placed Starks on the outside of the front row for the 50-lap race and he capitalized.

"That is the hardest 75 laps I've ever run by far," he said. "That track demands it as well as the weight of that event and the level of competition you have. You get to the back of the pack to lap guys and it's like you had to start back there. I'm almost a lapped car in that situation because those are the high-point guys. They have every reason to race me tough versus normally when you're trying to lap someone you expect them to be a little less aggressive.

"I got out in front of Tanner Holmes right away in the feature. We raced 34 laps straight before a caution. I had about 10 or 12 laps of open track. From there until the stoppage it was in traffic trying to lap probably the hardest cars you'd see other than maybe the Knoxville Nationals. They are racing you just as hard to stay on the lead lap as you are racing to get by them. We had the stoppage and luckily had enough time to fix some damage we got in traffic. We had a ton of close calls and some contact. We had three restarts toward the end and I just tried to run as fast as I could like a car was on my tail the whole time. Luckily, we put the whole feature together and came home with a win. It was really rewarding with it being a last-minute deal and I was happy to get back to the Trophy Cup and be a contender."

Starks led 49 of the 50 laps. The triumphant performance wraps the season up on a positive as he was victorious during his first and final races of the season for the first time in his career. He also finished seventh in the final Trophy Cup points standings.

In other news, Starks offers his condolences to the family and friends of his former car owner, Jeff McCall, who unexpectedly passed away last week.

"While we were racing last weekend we were thinking about Jeff and his family," Starks said. "He was a big factor in my career and one of the reasons for the success I've had over the years."

QUICK RESULTS -

Oct. 17 - Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. - Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 5 (5); B Main: 4 (7); Feature: 15 (20).

Oct. 18 - Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. - Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 2 (6); Feature: 19 (10).

Oct. 19 - Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. - Heat race: 6 (5); B Main: 2 (2); Feature: 1 (2).

SEASON STATS -

34 races, 15 wins, 22 top fives, 24 top 10s, 29 top 15s, 31 top 20s

MEDIA LINKS -

Website: http://www.StarksRacing.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Starks55Trey

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreyStarksRacing?fref=ts