Bradley McCaskill and Andrew Grady set the tone for the Late Model Stock class at Southern National Motorsports Park in 2015, winning the two 50-lap features in the division’s season opener.

McCaskill took the victory in dramatic fashion in the first 50-lap feature, spinning Ronald Renfrow in the final turn to pick up the win.

Renfrow took the lead on lap 20, passing Tommy Peregoy in turn one to take the top spot. Renfrow held that lead until the final lap, when McCaskill’s bump-and-run sent Renfrow spinning in turn four and relegated him to the fourth position.

“That’s not the way I want to do it. I had no intentions of knocking him out, Ronald’s a great guy. I feel terrible about that, but that’s racing.”

Renfrow was peeved with McCaskill’s maneuver.

“It’s racing. It’s a bad deal,” said Renfrow. “I just wish he had carried me off in the corner and let me wash up, turn under me. I had him deliberately turn me.”

“I don’t drive that way, and I wouldn’t drive nobody else that way.”

Renfrow, who underwent a kidney transplant surgery to help a local friend, sat out the second race. Matt Waltz jumped in Renfrow’s #07, working his way from the rear of the field up to sixth place before a broken right-front spindle ended his night on lap 21 of the second feature.

McCaskill started 9th in the second race following an invert, but worked his way to third by lap three. Andrew Grady started fourth and took the lead on lap 12, with McCaskill following him past Brandon Hobbs.

However, McCaskill had nothing for Andrew Grady in the second race. The younger member of the Grady family led the rest of the way, winning by four seconds over McCaskill.

“We broke the transmission in the second practice, I thought that was going to be a factor,” Andrew Grady said. “After about five laps [in the second race], I knew we had a real, real good piece. I guess Bradley burned up his right-front, I was trying to save it in case he made a run.”

“In my opinion, I just one of the absolute best that ever sat in the Limited Late Models, that’s Bradley McCaskill. I can say I beat him straight-up, head-to-head.”

McCaskill had qualified on the pole for the first 50-lapper, but was sent to the rear of the field after failing inspection after qualifying. McCaskill’s charge through the field played a role in the second race, as the Archer Lodge, North Carolina native couldn’t challenge Grady after burning up his equipment to take the first victory.

“We used way too much tire up in the first race getting up to the front,” said McCaskill of the second race. The Gradys are going to be the ones to beat, and i finished in the Grady sandwich on the front straightaway.”

Tony Grady finished third in the second feature to complete the Grady sandwich in his first trip to Southern National since his victory in the 2014 Thanksgiving Classic.

“I didn’t have nothing for the top four or five guys,” Tony Grady said on his run. “We just inherited fourth position and leaned on [Brandon Hobbs.]”

“Main thing is, the kid’s up front,” Tony said about his son’s victory. “That’s all that matters. The veteran had fun. The veteran had a good time.”

Race One – Unofficial Results

1. #18 Bradley McCaskill
2. #16 Rusty Daniels
3. #5 Bobby Gower
4. #07 Ronald Renfrow
5. #4 Jonathan Findley
6. #1G Andrew Grady
7. #63 Tyler Matthews
8. #7 Dillon Spain
9. #19 Brandon Hobbs
10. #29 Melvin Langley
11. #17 Devin Steele
12. #55 Gerald Benton
13. #2 Tommy Peregoy
14. #54 Michael Fose
15. #4T Tony Grady
16. #98 J.D. Eversole

Race Two – Unofficial Results

1. #1G Andrew Grady
2. #18 Bradley McCaskill
3. #4T Tony Grady
4. #19 Brandon Hobbs
5. #4 Jonathan Findley
6. #16 Rusty Daniels
7. #63 Tyler Matthews
8. #5 Bobby Gower
9. #55 Gerald Benton
10. #7 Dillon Spain
11. #17 Devin Steele
12. #07 Matt Waltz
13. #29 Melvin Langley
14. #98 J.D. Eversole
15. #2 Tommy Peregoy