Billy Snodgrass scored his first win in over a year and became the first driver not named Bumgarner or Beane to win at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2026, taking victory in Saturday’s 75 lap feature.
Snodgrass started outside pole alongside Eloy Falcon but would make quick work of the polesitter and begin to pull away. With Hickory’s invert rules, Bumgarner started 6th after posting the 2nd fastest time. In the end that may have been the difference as Snodgrass was able to hold Thomas Beane at bay but in the closing stages he had a mirror full of the No. 51. Snodgrass had just enough to close out his first victory of 2026.
“The track’s super slick right now,” Snodgrass said on the FloRacing broadcast “We were chasing the car all morning, just dead sideways and we finally got this thing hooked up. I just had to take care of my right rear tire, manage the gap there to Michael (Bumgarner) and make sure I had something if there was a caution.”
And what does it mean to finally get back to victory lane?
“Man I missed it a lot,” Snodgrass said “We’ve been struggling in Late Model Stocks. Completely different car from limiteds which was unexpected. I’m just happy to be here, man.”
Michael Bumgarner set the 2nd fastest time in qualifying but since he won the last event at the track, the best he could start was 6th. Bumgarner was rather cheeky in his post race comments in reference to the track’s invert rules.
“Not to get hosed by the racetrack, so thanks guys,” Bumgarner told FloRacing when asked what more he needed “If we had started where we qualified we would’ve had a good shot at winning it but Kevin Piercy wants his entertainment value but doesn’t want to give anything back to the racer but hopefully we gave it to him tonight.”
While he wasn’t able to continue a new streak tonight but in between victories Bumgarner has yet to finish worse than 2nd this season.
99 Billy Snodgrass
51 Michael Bumgarner
01 Thomas Beane
17 Skylar Chaney
15 Hudson Sharp
37 Chase Robertson
51 Tyler Chapmon
14 Christopher Martin Jr.
38 Eloy Falcon
