POPLAR BLUFF - Joey Mack reached victory lane for the first time in 2005, as he bested the field in the season opener at the Poplar Bluff Speedway in Poplar Bluff last Saturday night.
After getting tangled in an early heat race incident, Mack drove back up to the second spot.
He rolled off fourth in the feature event, but quickly found its way to the point.
After stretching the lead out to nearly a straightaway, a caution with two laps to go would bunch up the field.
Mack held off Ed Dixon for the checkered flag and the $1,200 payday.
"We had a really strong car all night long," said Mack. "The track was hooked up all night long, but we were able to figure it out and win the race.
"(Ed) Dixon is known for being good on "hammer-down" race tracks, so it feels good to beat him on that type of racing surface. I want to thank all of my sponsors on board with us this season and all of the people that were there in the pits helping with the car. We had a bunch of help in the pits and that means a lot to us."