2024 CHAMPION - ASHTON TUCKER

CREW MEMBERS

Brad Silliker | Wayne Silliker | Jeff Silliker | Warren Silliker | Jace Silliker
Cory LeFurgey | William Silliker | Doug White

White Lightning Auto Center | Empire Luxury Limousines | Baisley's Construction | Kris G Plumbing
Mike's Bar and Grill | Big Wheels Auto Sales | King Competition | Vye Construction
Moncton Truck & Equipment | NBCSA | Postech Miramichi | Sunny Corner Enterprises
Tracey & Gardiner Allen | Solovision Graphics | JTR Mobile Services

ROUND 1 - Fog City Auto Spa 150 at Petty International Raceway

The start of a new season arrived on a cool but sunny Mother's Day weekend at Petty International Raceway.

On the heels of his first series victory in the 2023 season finale at Petty, Ashton Tucker looked to emerge as the star on the series for 2024. He would kick off the year in style, securing the victory in his ten lap qualifying heat race, sliding him into position number 5 on the starting grid for the Fog City Auto Spa 150.

Tucker had combined with Cory Hall to finish first and second in the final two events of the 2023 season, and early on it was Hall who showed the way while Tucker hung around in the back half of the top five. As the race hit halfway, Tucker began to show his stuff. A restart right at the halfway mark saw Tucker vault himself up to the runner-up spot, and he would begin to close in on Hall as the race neared lap 100, setting up a showdown for the ages.

Tucker would edge ahead of Hall for the first time with 50 to go, and ultimately clear Hall for the lead. But Hall wasn't set to go down without a fight, staying glued on Tucker's bumper and trying to find a way back around. A late race yellow set the stage for a duel to the finish, as Tucker held his ground on the outside lane and would edge Hall to the finish line in a near photo finish to claim the victory and the points lead after round one.

RACE STATS

HEAT FINISH: 1st | START: 5th | FINISH: 1st | LAPS LED: 50 | POINTS RANK: 1st

ROUND 2 - Castle Building Centers 150 at Speedway 660

On the heels of Tucker's win at Petty International Raceway, controversy broke out. Several competitors, including Tucker, were pointed out to have tape on the grille - a violation of the SLMS rulebook. The penalty? Start at the rear for the heat and feature of the next event, which happened to be at Speedway 660.

Tucker's ten-lap heat race saw him wheel up to third, salvaging some valuable championship points - but the penalty still applied for the feature, so he would roll off shotgun on the 21-car grid.

Methodically, Tucker would follow his fellow competitors who started at the rear under penalty up through the field. Using patience and ability, one by one Tucker marched to the front and when the caution flew on lap 96, he would line up in third spot.

Tucker watched as the leaders raced side-by-side on the restart, but as Greg Fahey cleared Lonnie Sommerville, Tucker went to work making it look easy as he passed for the lead with 44 laps to go. That would be all anyone had for Tucker, as another race with a late restart wasn't enough for anyone to challenge as he wheeled to victory from dead last in the Castle Building Centers 150 - his third consecutive win with the Easy-Kleen Super Late Model Series.

RACE STATS

HEAT FINISH: 3rd | START: 21st | FINISH: 1st | LAPS LED: 44 | POINTS RANK: 1st

ROUND 3 - Universal Truck & Trailer 150 at Oyster Bed Speedway

Ashton Tucker through the first two events proved to be the hottest driver on the series - with his win streak stretching back three races if you count his win in the 2023 finale. However, each of those wins saw Cory Hall finish second, keeping Hall in the mix for the championship. But a major test was looming for Tucker and his Brad Silliker Motorsports team - Oyster Bed Speedway, where they had yet to finish a race together as a team.

Tucker posted a 4th place effort in his heat race which netted him a positive passing points total - but being the most recent winner, he could not start higher than 50% of the field, relegating him to 11th on the grid at what was statistically his worst track. Meanwhile, points rival Hall netted himself the pole and would lead the field to the green.

As the race commenced, track position would be at a premium as drivers fought hard to maintain running positions, by times creating packs of 7 or more cars racing in line as everyone tried to gain ground. It would be tough sledding for Tucker gaining ground, barely working inside the top ten during the initial 70 lap run - but the conditions were perfect for him to save his tires like he is so famous for. A few cautions and being in the wrong lane led to Tucker losing a bit of ground, but he'd rally to sixth as the race passed the lap 100 mark.

A yellow with 40 to go gave Tucker a chance to vault up inside the top 5 for the first time, as he rolled up to position number four. A heated battle with Dylan Gosbee eventually saw Tucker conquer the reigning series champ and crack the podium for a hard fought third place effort - his first podium at Oyster Bed Speedway. It was a championship caliber fight from the Brad Silliker Motorsports team - but Cory Hall would dominate the day en route to victory, closing back in on Tucker for the championship, with Tucker grasping a two point lead heading into the second half of the season.

RACE STATS

HEAT FINISH: 4th | START: 11th | FINISH: 3rd | POINTS RANK: 1st

ROUND 4 - Old Fashion Meat Market 150 at Petty Intl' Raceway

The second half of the season commenced with Mother Nature taking the first checkered flag, delaying the Old Fashioned Meat Market 150 by a day. A very hot and humid Sunday afternoon set challenging conditions for drivers in the car, and long green flag kept drivers from getting any breaks as the race unfolded.

Tucker won his qualifying heat race getting the day started - as did Cory Hall, keeping the top points challengers neutral to start the day. Rolling off fourth, Tucker settled inside the top five early on, content to log laps and save his stuff. The race unfolded with a long green flag run, but as the lap 50 mark approached, Tucker would see a charging Cory Hall in his mirror. Hall had to start deeper in the field after his Oyster Bed Speedway win, and Tucker elected to start making moves to stay in front of Hall. Within a matter of laps, Tucker marched up to second and began stalking Robbie MacEwen for the lead before completing the pass on lap 64.

The race stayed green right up to lap 121 - one of the longest green flag runs in series history - which set the stage for another showdown between Tucker and Hall. On the restart, Hall managed to edge ahead of a side by side duel and lead a few laps, but Tucker fought back and reclaimed the lead - one he would never relinquish en route to a record setting third victory of the season. Hall held on for second, meaning Tucker would gain a mere two points over Hall in the standings with two races to go.

RACE STATS

HEAT FINISH: 1st | START: 4th | FINISH: 1st | LAPS LED: 86 | POINTS RANK: 1st

ROUND 5 - Chapman Bros. 150 at Oyster Bed Speedway

Championships are not only won by the good days - in fact, championships are more often defined by making the most of the bad days. Returning back to his worst track at Oyster Bed Speedway - where Cory Hall was the most recent winner - Tucker and the Brad Silliker Motorsports team simply needed to keep it close.

However, the 2 team was struggling in practice, not happy with the performance of their car. Tucker would have to start deep in the field as the most recent winner anyways, but his heat race did not go well either, which put Tucker starting 14th in the feature - worst than the minimum penalty applied to the most recent winner. Adding insult to injury, Cory Hall passed Tucker in the heat race which earned him a valuable championship point - a crucial pass and point in such a close battle.

Championship teams don't simply settle, and never back down. Before the feature, the team threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the 2 car to try and improve performance before 150 laps. Starting deep at a track where track position comes at a premium, major championship implications were lingering in the air along with the green flag.

Tucker quickly made it inside the top ten, but climbing the leaderboard becomes more difficult with each position. Long green flag runs would once again be the story, but Tucker would not have time to waste with so many positions in front. The changes to the setup seemed to net improvement as he wheeled through the field earning each position. A tense moment came as Tucker clipped the frontstretch wall battling Dylan Gosbee for position - but the driver hung onto it and would make a pass just a few laps later. As the checkers flew for Cory Hall, Tucker had closed in on Robbie MacEwen for the final podium position but would settle for fourth - good enough to salvage a day that looked bleak while controlling damage points wise.

RACE STATS

HEAT FINISH: 6th | START: 14th | FINISH: 4th | POINTS RANK: 2nd

ROUND 6 - ReCar 150 pres. by Wonder Auto at Speedway 660

A season long back and forth battle between Cory Hall and Ashton Tucker set the stage for an epic championship showdown as the Super Late Model Series returned to Speedway 660. Three points separated the top two, with Hall owning the top spot for the first time all season. Tucker found himself trailing and in need of a perfect day.

Heat races were set to be pivotal, as they were a key chance to gain points. With each feature position having a two point separation, if Hall maintained his three point lead into features, he could win the championship by simply finishing second - and he had not finished worst than second all season.

As fate would have it, Tucker would draw the pole for his heat race, while Hall would draw deep in the field for his heat. From the pole, Ashton wheeled to a heat race win while Hall would only charge up to second. That would be a one point gain for Tucker over Hall, entering the feature trailing the driver of the 83 by just two points. With Tucker having more wins and thus any tiebreakers, the math became simple - it was now a winner take all showdown, and whoever finished higher would claim the championship.

In another twist of fate, Tucker's +1 passing points score for winning his heat from the pole would net him the pole for the feature - the first of his career, and the first time a driver with a +1 passing points score earned a pole. Hall had to start deeper being the most recent winner, allowing Tucker to open up an early lead.

A trio of cautions in the middle part of the race bunched the field up and eventually saw Tucker and Hall line up side by side for restarts. Hall would charge back and forth, getting up to Tucker's door on the outside, but Tucker would begin to drive off into the sunset and Hall was waiting for a caution to set a late race restart. However, the caution never came, and Tucker would lead every lap en route to victory as Hall finished second - triggering a tie in final points, with Tucker's now four feature wins giving him the tiebreaker and the 2024 championship! It truly was a perfect day - that is until the cooldown lap, when Tucker would break an axle marking the second year in a row the champion broke on the cooldown lap.

RACE STATS

HEAT FINISH: 1st | START: 1st | FINISH: 1st | LAPS LED: 150 | POINTS RANK: 1st