COMMERCE, Ga. – Just a week after narrowly missing his first-career Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals victory, Payton Freeman got redemption on Saturday night at Boyd’s Speedway with his first-career Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series win.
He piloted his Freeman Plumbing No. F1 Coltman Farms / Capital Race Car / Cornett Racing Engine Super Late Model to the $4,000 victory at the Georgia oval.
In his most efficient performance of the year so far, Freeman was uncontested after taking the lead on lap six at Boyd’s and brought home his first win on the season.
Freeman said that Saturday’s win carried so much significance with the occasion taking place during the Iron-Man Series’ Let’s Get Dirty Autism Weekend. He commended owner Chris Tilley for his efforts to support Autism Awareness along with everything he has done to make the Iron-Man Series one of the best Dirt Late Model divisions in the country.
“Chris Tilley and his guys do such a great job with the Iron-Man Series,” Freeman said. “Being able to win one of these races means a lot to me because I have such a close relationship with Chris. I’m so happy to win this race for Chris and my team.”
Having just competed at Boyd’s a month ago, Freeman felt confident that the notes accumulated from that weekend would translate into a winning, race day setup.
Freeman’s car showed speed the moment it hit the track. He posted the fastest lap of any other driver in qualifying with a time of 14.8 seconds, but since Freeman was in Group B, he ended up starting on the outside of the front row.
After navigating his way around Garrett Smith and Kenny Collins, Freeman took full control of the race to cruise towards victory lane at Boyd’s. Freeman was relieved to finally get his first win of the season recorded and believes that fortunes may finally be turning in his favor.
“I feel really confident with what we have going on,” Freeman said. “Our car has a ton of speed, but the biggest thing was to shake off the silly things that were happening to us. The speed’s been there everywhere we’ve been, but we hadn’t put a whole night together until now.”