For The Tribune

BROWNSTOWN

When Brycelyn Ruddick was crowned Jackson County Fair queen on opening night of this year’s fair, her stepfather, Jason Hehman, knew the pressure was now on his shoulders to perform well during his event later in the week.

As Thursday Night Thunder headlined the grandstand event schedule, with his familiar No. 37 super stock parked in the pit area of Brownstown Speedway, Hehman was poised to visit Victory Lane and get the famous fair queen winner’s photo.

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While laps ticked off of the scoreboard in the 25-lap main event, Hehman focused on hitting his marks and retaining his already established lead.

The task was no easy one, as one of the rising stars of the division looked for her first career feature win — that driver being Aubrey Eagan.

The 21-year-old racer, who is well known for her patience and smooth driving style, was nipping at Hehman’s heals as she eyed the lead position.

Eagan and Hehman battled side by side for the majority of the event, with Ruddick anxiously watching from her spot in the infield of the speedway.

On the final lap, Ruddick could finally breathe a sigh of relief, as Hehman stretched his lead over Eagan and cruised to victory, marking his second win of the season at Brownstown.

“I knew Sunday night when Brycelyn’s name was called that the pressure was all on me to win Thursday night,” said Hehman, a Brownstown native. “For her to accomplish that was huge. This racing deal is a little different, but I’m so proud of her. This is really cool.”

Hehman admitted the feat of pulling off the win was no easy one.

“Aubrey’s win is coming soon,” Hehman said. “She raced me really hard and most importantly really clean, and I appreciate that.”

Another Jackson County driver took his ride to Victory Lane, improving his already perfect record on the season at Brownstown.

“This has been a dream come true, for sure,” Seymour’s Donnie Modesty said in Victory Lane following his feature win in the hornets division.

With three scheduled points races remaining for the hornets division, the win helps solidify Modesty’s chances to score his first career points championship at the speedway.

Marty O’Neal continued his dominance in the Indiana Pro Late Model Series, picking up the feature win against the 15 competitors who took to the track.

Columbus driver Devin Gilpin dominated the field of 22 modifieds competitors, cruising to victory over Jacoby Hines.

Following his eighth win of the season at Brownstown in the modifieds division, Gilpin remarked that tonight’s upcoming event was next on his radar.

“We’ve got both cars performing really well right now, and we really want to win the Paul Crockett Memorial and pick up the $2,500,” said Gilpin, who competes in both the modifieds and super late models divisions.

Gilpin’s grandfather, Don Fleetwood, fields both cars out of his shop located just outside of Brownstown.

Tonight’s Jackson County Grand Champion Fair Race is set to roll off at 7 p.m.

The super late models portion of the show is the fifth annual Paul Crockett Memorial, paying homage to the late racing veteran.

Gilpin, whose biggest win at Brownstown came July 1 at the Born Free 40, which payed $5,000 to win, is prepared to make his first start in the upcoming memorial race.