4/30/2022
Payton Freeman
Payton Freeman Earns First Iron-Man Late Model Series Victory
Ringgold, Ga. (May 1, 2022) – Payton Freeman finally managed to shake off the bad luck that has been hindering him all year in Saturday’s Iron-Man Late Model Series feature at Boyd’s Speedway. (Michael Despain photo)
In his most efficient performance of the year so far, Freeman was uncontested after taking the lead on Lap 6 at Boyd’s and brought home his first career victory in the Iron-Man Series, which was also his first on the 2022 season.
Freeman said that Saturday’s win carried so much significance with the occasion taking place during the Iron-Man Series’ Let’s Get Dirty Autism Weekend. He commended owner Chris Tilley for his efforts to support Autism Awareness along with everything he has done to make the Iron-Man Series one of the best Dirt Late Model divisions in the country.
“Chris Tilley and his guys do such a great job with the Iron-Man Series,” Freeman said. “Being able to win one of these races means a lot to me because I have such a close relationship with Chris. I’m so happy to win this race for Chris and my team."
Having just competed at Boyd’s a month ago, Freeman felt confident that the notes accumulated from that weekend would translate into a winning, race day setup.
Freeman’s car showed speed the moment it hit the track. He posted the fastest lap of any other driver in qualifying with a time of 14.8 seconds, but since Freeman was in Group B, he ended up starting on the outside of the front row.
After navigating his way around Garrett Smith and Kenny Collins, Freeman took full control of the race to cruise towards victory lane at Boyd’s. Freeman was relieved to finally get his first win of 2022 recorded and believes that fortunes may finally be turning in his favor.
“I feel really confident with what we have going on,” Freeman said. “Our car has a ton of speed, but the biggest thing was to shake off the silly things that were happening to us. The speed’s been there everywhere we’ve been, but we hadn’t put a whole night together until now.”
Freeman knows that everyone is working hard to ensure his cars are competitive each week. He fully expects to keep building on his momentum but knows that plenty of challenging races and tough fields are ahead over the next few weeks.
The next race on Freeman’s schedule will see him continue his pursuit for a title in the Schaeffer’s Oil Southern National Series this coming Saturday at East Alabama Motor Speedway. Freeman also wants to take part in the inaugural FloRacing Illinois Speedweek, which consists of four races that pay $22,022 apiece to the winner.
Freeman sees plenty of opportunities to excel during the month of May but said the goal with his program is to focus on making more improvements so that nights like the one at Boyd’s Speedway become a more frequent occurrence.
“We know that we have speed,” Freeman said. “We just need to use this momentum as a confidence booster and motivator to keep working hard and do what’s necessary to keep this car fast.”
Payton Freeman would like to thank all of his supporters and partners, including his parents, crew and fans as well as Freeman Plumbing, Coltman Farms, MPM Marketing, Stilo, KRC Power Steering, K1 RaceGear, Schaeffer’s Oil, Base Racing Fuel, SRI Performance, Captial Race Cars, Shelton Trucking, Chattham & Son Tile, Rod Roberts Trucking, Collins Signs, Sweet Victory Apparel, Accu-Force Dyno & Testers, Swift Springs, Penske Racing Shocks and Strange Oval.
Article Credit: Tonya McCallister | MPM Marketing