(Eastaboga, AL – October 4, 2025) - Pine Mountain Valley, Georgia’s Joseph Brown etched his name into the winner’s list at the Hornet’s Nest Saturday night, claiming the Ice Bowl Qualifier for the Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series at Talladega Short Track. The $4,000 victory marked Brown’s fourth win of the 2025 season and his fifth career series triumph — but his first ever at the famed Eastaboga oval.
After starting on the outside of the front row, Brown wasted no time challenging pole-sitter Josh Ray, who led the first eight circuits of the 40-lap feature. On lap nine, Brown slipped underneath Ray in turns three and four, seizing the lead before Ray could reclaim the bottom groove. From there, Brown commanded the field through lapped traffic to score an emotional first series win at Talladega.
“I can’t believe I won here,” Brown said following the feature. “I knew I had to stay with him early and make my move when I had the chance. Honestly, I’ve just stopped changing things — the more I work on it, the slower I get. I’m comfortable in this car. I’ve been in it for two years now, and I know what it needs.”
Josh Ray settled for a strong runner-up finish after leading early, while Jake Rainey earned his first podium of the year, marking his fourth Top-5 in eleven events.
Series points leader Jeremy Steele turned in another consistent outing, finishing fifth and extending his championship margin to 40 points over Bubba Roling, who placed seventh. Matt Henderson remains third in the standings, just two points further back. Brown’s victory vaulted him into fourth in the standings, swapping spots with Austin Yarbrough, who now sits fifth.
Feature Results – Ice Bowl Qualifier (40 Laps | $4,000-to-Win)
1-92 – Joseph Brown [2]
2-77 – Josh Ray [1]
3-87 – Jake Rainey [4]
4-S9 – Sam Seawright [8]
5-22S – Jeremy Steele [5]
6-22T – Jimmy Thomas [7]
7-515 – Bubba Roling [3]
8-22H – Matt Henderson [10]
9-46J – Deisel Jones [11]
10-H5 – Wil Herrington [14]
11-18B – Austin Yarbrough [19]
12-17 – Adam Gauldin [12]
13-16 – Caleb Gay [24]
14-116 – Cameron Weaver [16]
15-611 – Koulten Herbert [23]
16-5Q – Colby Quick [13]
17-11 – Nikalas Godfrey [25]
18-87D – Derrick Rainey [17]
19-33 – Colton Leyendecker [18]
20-3 – Heath Carr [22]
21-21 – Jason Lively [21]
22-58 – Trent McLeod [6]
23-11S – Allen Styck [20]
24-K5 – David Kay [9]
25-8 – Dylan Knowles [15]
Car Count: 41
MyRacePass / Fantasy Racing Hot Laps: #22 Jimmy Thomas – 13.817
Bama Sheds & Pole Barns Pole Award: #77 Josh Ray – 14.295
Rogers-Dabbs Chevrolet B-Main Winners:
B1-#87 Derrick Rainey
B2-#33 Colton Leyendecker
Scorpion Race Cars Hard Charger:
#16 Caleb Gay (+11 | 24th to 13th)
Columbus Sports Cards Tough Luck Award:
#58 Trent McLeod (Started 6th, finished 22nd)
CRUSA Championship Standings (After Talladega)
1-Jeremy Steele | 974 (-)
2-Bubba Roling | 934 (-40)
3-Matt Henderson | 932 (-42)
4-Joseph Brown | 930 (-44)
5-Austin Yarbrough | 910 (-64)
6-Koulten Herbert | 882 (-92)
7-Jimmy Thomas | 880 (-94)
8-Jake Rainey | 868 (-106)
9-Caleb Gay | 814 (-160)
10-Trent McLeod | 696 (-278)
The Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series heads to Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi, for the 21st Annual Governors Cup, paying $10,000-to-win on October 10-11.
Special Thanks to Our Partners: Rogers-Dabbs Performance Parts, Chevrolet Performance, Hoosier Racing Tires, VP Racing Fuels, VP Racing Lubricants, Knowles Race Parts and Bodies, Competition Racing Equipment, Cruise with the Champions, Savage Chassis, Velocita by Melissa Markewitz, Bama Sheds & Pole Barns, MatMan Designs, WesPro JCB, Scorpion Race Cars, Columbus Sports Cards, and MyRacePass.
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Photo by Simple Moment Photography