ORANGEBURG, SC

Amid the lights and sounds of the county fair and the smells of cotton candy and French fries, the excitement of motorcycle dirt-track racing took center stage on this beautiful fall Saturday night. A good turnout of top-notch competitors were on hand to go at it in the finale of the 2009 Southeast Dirt Track Championship Series. After the qualifying heats, it was time to get the main events under way.

Wesley Brown made a statement in the 50cc Four-Stroke class, taking the win. Drayton Lucas was second and Dillon Vandekerkhove was third.

Joshua Smith (18, above) took the top spot in the 65cc contest, with Al Thomas Hughes (3) second. Hughes would not be denied the checkered flag the next time out, as he got the 85cc win, with Jonathan Smith taking second. Hughes would also get the win in 70-125 competition, with Buster McCoy taking second.

"Flyin' Ryan" Rutland got to the finish first in the 0-200 main, with Staton Lomas second and Kaiti McLane third.

Tom Tyner came from the back of the pack to claim the Vintage 250 win. Yamaha-mounted Rick Lovette was second and Jeff Barton was third.

The Open Am class saw Chester Dilligaf take the lead early and then hold on for the win. Jeremy Gleaton placed second and Rutland finished third.

Frank McLane took advantage of a red flag and a restart to claim the early lead and then held off a good challenge from Blake Lomas. At the finish, it was McLane first, Blake second and Darrell Bryant third.

The class with the biggest field of the night, the Over 50 class, had two rows full at the start. Pilot Mountain's Ken "The Kid" Steele (64, above) proved once again that there is no substitute for years of experience. The 72-year-old Honda rider took control from the start and rode a smooth, fast line to the finish for the win. Charlie Sabatka Sr. was second, with Ken Davis third.

In the Over 40 class, Monticello Farms' Frank McLane patiently worked his way past early leader Roger Lineberger for the win. Ken Davis took the final podium position.

After a red flag and a restart, the Pro Am final got under way with soon-to-be-married Expert rider Garth Brow taking the lead out of turn two and down the back stretch. Robert Lewis - who had earlier gone down, bringing out the red flag - took advantage of a lucky-dog pass back to his original front-row starting position for the restart and settled into second. Steele Automotive-sponsored expert Jerry Steele was running third. That would be the order of finish at the flag.

In the Open Pro final, the PBW Racing-sponsored Lewis got the win, with Chase Sconyers second and Brow third.

Results

50 4-STRK: 1. Wesley Brown; 2. Drayton Lucas; 3. Dillon Vandekerkhove; 4. Tyler Risa; 5. Ethan Brant.

65: 1. Joshua Smith; 2. Al Thomas Hughes.

85: 1. Al Thomas Hughes; 2. Jonathan Smith.

70-125: 1. Al Thomas Hughes; 2. Buster McCoy.

0-200: 1. Ryan Rutland; 2. Staton Lomas; 3. Kaiti McLane; 4. Buster McCoy.

MAD DOG STK: 1. Laura De Angelo.

MAD DOG MOD: 1. Staton Lomas.

OPEN NOV: 1. Dan De Angelo.

OPEN AM: 1. Chester Dilligaf; 2. Jeremy Gleaton; 3. Ryan Rutland; 4. Staton Lomas; 5. Troy Able.

PRO AM: 1. Garth Brow; 2. Robert Lewis; 3. Jerry Steele; 4. Blake Lomas; 5. Zach Olliff.

OPEN PRO: 1. Robert Lewis; 2. Chase Sconyers; 3. Garth Brow; 4. Tyler Treadaway; 5. Zach Olliff.

40+: 1. Frank McLane; 2. Roger Lineberger; 3. Ken Davis; 4. Troy Able; 5. Dan De Angelo.

50+: 1. Ken Steele; 2. Charlie Sabatka Sr.; 3. Ken Davis; 4. Wayne McJunkin; 5. John Parker.

VINT 250: 1. Tom Tyner; 2. Rick Lovette; 3. Jeff Barton; 4. Grady Cagle; 5. Smiley Piggs.

VINT OPEN: 1. Frank McLane; 2. Blake Lomas; 3. Darrell Bryant; 4. Tommy Sisson; 5. Dwayne