Hickory Hustle Goes to Keysor

Brad Keysor Comes From Deep in Pack to Win The Hickory Hustle and Take Second North Carolina Swing Championship

October 22, 2022 – Hickory, NC…After drawing seventh starting place, Brad Keysor methodically worked his way to the front of the pack to take the lead from Ryan Cloonan on lap 32 for good, and went on to win the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), Hickory Hustle and with the win claimed the 19^th Annual North Carolina Swing Championship. The race had four cautions, but a good amount of side by side racing throughout the 75 laps.

Keysor Had Fun

“It was a good fun race,” said Keysor after climbing from his behind the wheel of his BMK Logistics #3. “There’s definitely a couple of good lines at Hickory, and really this is the culmination of three great nights of racing.”

“I just want to thank 1st to Finish Race Servers, BreezeGraphics.com, Hairbag Studios, and of course Icings on Top,” Keysor said. “It’s just another good night of racing with friends and having fun thanks to BMK Logistics and Chasing Cameras.”

Keysor’s job getting up through the field wasn’t an easy task as he battled some of the best supermodified sim racers in the world. “I had to really work Anthony, (Corsoniti),” Keysor admitted. “I have to give him a shout out for running a great race. Then I battled Bob, (Gangwer), for 4 or 5 laps, and that was good side by side racing.”

“Then a caution came out and I couldn’t quite get Ryan,” Keysor explained. That caution for was the fourth place running Gangwer, the same driver Keysor had alluded too.

Even with the win, Keysor was cognizant of the struggles that a SUPRS sponsor was having. “It was a fun night, but more importantly we want to make sure Cyndi and Keith are doing well that’s the most important thing,” he said of Icings on Top owner Cyndi Powell and husband, and SUPRS lifetime member Keith. “Racing is fun, but there’s more important things going on.”

Caution Hurts Cloonan

Defending North Carolina Swing Champion, Dave Ohh, ended up second while Ryan Cloonan came home in third place for the second year in a row.

Cloonan, of Oswego, NY, who won his first NASCAR Heat wing supermodified feature on the first night of the 2022 North Carolina Swing, took off and hid when the green flag dropped, taking full advantage of starting on the Pole Position. The first caution came out just four laps into the race, but had little effect on his efforts to win his first North Carolina Swing Championship. However, the same can’t be said of the second caution that Cloonan saw flying for the crash by Zach Sears on the front-stretch.

The leader, and driver of the Simability #13, had a brief respite immediately after the restart as second place runner Keysor, along with Dave Ohh in third and Bob Gangwer in fourth fought each other tooth and nail for about four laps. The side by side battle helped Cloonan pull out slightly, but then Keysor made a bold and powerful move to the outside of Cloonan to take the lead. Suddenly the caution came out for Gangwer who had gotten loose coming out of turn two. Keysor had to relinquish the lead but wasted no time going after Cloonan on the restart and took the lead for good.

North Carolina Swing Notes

Just like 2021, the 2022 North Carolina Swing had three different winners in the first four qualifying races. With Dave Ohh’s sweep of night two, he’s moved into second place on the all-time NC Swing Race win list, (for current drivers) and now has eight wins total, (not counting The Hickory Hustle). It was also the seventh time that the second night of the Swing was a sweep by one driver, with Ohh duplicating what he did in 2021 at Southern National and Concord.

Twelve different drivers received points in the preliminary qualifying races the first two nights of the 2022 North Carolina Swing with Ryan Cloonan and Zach Sears picking up their first NC Swing feature wins ever in the NC Swing.

First Race of Ohio State 500 at Black Kat Klassic Next

After just a short turn-around from the North Carolina Swing, another major SUPRS swings begins. The first race of the SUPRS Ohio State 500 rolls out of the gate at the popular Black Kat Klassic October 25, 2022 at Toledo Speedway. The first of five 100 lap events throughout the Buckeye State, this race on the wicked fast high-banks of Toledo Speedway mimics those held in the 1970s, and while the SUPRS Ohio State 500 won’t be five straight nights of 100 laps races, the teams and drivers are no less pumped to get the ball rolling at Toledo which hosted Ohio State 500 races in 1974, 1975, 1977 .

It’s all about going fast with a format of time trials that will lock in the Elite 8 qualifiers who will then be inverted for the spine-tingling, high speed 100 lap rFactor supermodified sim racing feature at the ultra-fast Toledo Speedway.

Enjoy the first race of SUPRS 2022-23 Ohio State 500 at Toledo Speedway with the Black Kat Klassic on our SUPRS LIVE! page. While no live video stream is planned, fans can still take in up to the second Timing and Scoring, and track telemetry, SUPRS LIVE! is the perfect place to cheer on your favorite SUPRS racers.

Visit www.SUPRS.net/site/Live or watch on SUPRS Twitch Channel at Twitch.tv/SUPRSOnline.

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