Bassett wins Fall Brawl main event at HMS
Ronnie Bassett Jr. (back row, center) celebrates with family and crew members in victory lane after winning the 200-lap Late Model main event during the 29th annual Fall Brawl at Hickory Motor Speedway on Nov. 7. Bassett also won a race at the Fall Brawl in 2015.
Hickory Motor Speedway capped its 2026 season with the 29th annual Fall Brawl on Saturday, Nov. 7, with five divisions of racing bringing more than 100 different teams to “America’s Most Famous Short Track.”
The main event was the 200-lap Late Model feature, which saw Ronnie Bassett Jr. start first after winning the pole and Mason Walters start second. At the drop of the green flag, the two battled door-to-door before soon pulling away from the rest of the field along with Hudson Sharp.
Shortly thereafter, Sharp appeared to misjudge the gap between himself and Walters while driving through lapped traffic, causing the pair to crash going into the third turn. Both race cars were destroyed, but neither driver was injured.
In the end, Bassett earned his second career Fall Brawl victory and his first since winning as a teenager in 2015. Finishing second in the 20-car field was Chase Burgeson, while three former Hickory Motor Speedway track champions rounded out the top five as Kade Brown finished third, Michael Bumgarner came in fourth, and Thomas Beane took fifth. In addition, Skyler Chaney came in sixth, Jace Hale finished seventh, Zach Bruenger was the eighth-place finisher, Billy Snodgrass came in ninth, Charlie Watson finished 10th, and Walter Jenkins IV posted a 13th-place finish in his Late Model debut.
The 100-lap Limited Late Model feature was a battle of attrition. Seven caution flags and two red flags were waved during a race that took over 90 minutes to complete, with Carter McMurray ultimately nabbing his third win of the season, Dexter Canipe III finishing second, and 65-year-old Don Carlton coming in third. Meanwhile, the rest of the top 10, in order, consisted of Brett Suggs, Spencer Bradshaw, Owen Wilson, Travis Pettit, Paityn Feyen, Gerardo Peralta, and Max Price.
Cody DeMarmels completed his championship season by winning the pole and leading all 30 laps in the Street Stock feature, while Ricky Locklair Jr. settled for the runner-up spot despite applying major pressure to DeMarmels down the stretch. Easton Brewer rounded out the podium, while Jacob “Rocket Man” Hayes came in fourth and Thomas Lee finished fifth.
The 25-lap Mini Stock race, which included no cautions, was won by Shane Canipe, who also finished first in the division’s season-long points standings. As for the rest of the top five, it included runner-up Blaine Curry, AJ Sanders in third, Chuck Wall in fourth, and Bobby Tumbleston III in fifth.
The night concluded with a 100-lap race featuring drivers from the Carolina Pro Late Model Series. Hudson Canipe started from the pole and led the opening 12 laps before being passed by Kole Raz, although Canipe moved back into the lead on the 45th lap and held off the hard-charging Kyle Campbell for the win. Finishing behind Campbell were Matthew Laprade in third, Jack Baldwin in fourth, and Cameron Clifford in fifth.
Crews began removing Hickory Motor Speedway’s asphalt surface — which was last paved in 1992 — as soon as victory lane interviews were completed. When the 2027 season begins in March, competitors will have a brand-new surface to race on.
Hickory Motor Speedway opened in June 1952, was repaved in August 1967, and was repaved again 34 years ago, making this only the third time that the track will have had a new surface.
