Fans started lining up early for the season finale at Southside Speedway Friday night. With just 20 points separating the top two in the Modified and Champ Kart division, even a pair of fully grown bald eagles stuck around for the action.

The Champ Kart division took the track midway through the evening. Point leader Stanley Holmes was sent to the rear early because of a caution. He still had 14 laps to work his way to the front. He flew threw the field to finish fifth and hung on for the championship.

The Modified race saw Billy Morris hold off Thomas Stinson for the race win and the track championship.

Leading by just 20 points in the standings, Morris needed to win to hold off Stinson. He took the lead for good in lap 11. Morris took the low line in turns one and two. The cars made contact, but Stinson backed off to give Morris the first position and save the cars. The green flag stayed out for the remainder of the race and Morris sailed to a win.

For the Late Models, it was a case of conserve and don’t wreck for Chris Dodson who entered the evening comfortably in the lead with a 320 point cushion on Brandon Hendrick. The two point leaders stayed behind the real race of the night, protecting their standings.

Meanwhile, Shayne Lockhart and Chris Hopkins battled it out for first and second.

The two started first and second, respectively, and put on a show for man and bird alike.

Lockhart protected his lead in lap 22 as the pair caught up to lapped traffic. Hopkins couldn’t get the inside track because of a lapped car partially blocking his view, but the second caution of the night bunched up the field and gave Hopkins the open track he was looking for. Both cars got a good start to retain the first and second spots.

Hopkins went to the low line again in lap 29 and 35 and nearly got the break he was looking for when Lockhart got a little loose on the restart coming off the third caution. Lockhart managed to hold the low line and the lead.

“My car would push a little bit and drift up, and I would have to get a little extra brake to pull it back to the bottom, and [Hopkins] got on the inside of me in one and two. I felt us slam together, and we went on. Thank goodness it was a 50-lap race!” Lockhart said afterward. “Chris Hopkins runs a clean race so I knew I didn’t have to worry about him spinning me, so that’s nice.”

Dodson started in fourth and remained in fourth. With a 320-point lead, he simply needed to protect.

“I backed off, relatively,” Dodson said. “I probably had a second-place car tonight … I didn’t have to win. I’ve won a lot of races [this season]. I was fortunate to win a lot of races … It’s not about winning races. It’s about finishing in the top four. If you have a fourth-place car, you finish fourth. If you have a first-place car, you finish first. I learned that from Eddie Johnson.”

Dodson grabbed the track championship followed by Brandon Hendrick and Jeff Oakley.

In other divisions, Mike Ganoe, Wayne Groome and Ethan Ayers took the top three positions in racing action for the Street Stocks; Keith Mackta, Mark Simpson and Tommy Tatum won the Grand Stock division; Mitch Bartholomew, Buzz Moore and Clint Moon won the Champ Kart race; and Rusty Bennett, Frank Silva and Lauren Edgerton were top three in the U-Cars.

Track champions are Mike Chapman in the U-Car division, James Loving in the Street Stock division and Tommy Tatum in the Grand Stock division.

Having already decided a track champion, the Street Stock division closed the track for the season with a Race of Champions. Mike Ganoe got the win with Loving and Mike Sutphin in second and third.

Sara Page is Sports Editor of the Midlothian Exchange and can be reached at (804) 379-6451.