Max Blair poses for a photo in victory lane after he held on through late-race pressure to score his second $10,000-plus payday of last weekend by claiming the $10,318-to-win Super Late Model main event at Stateline Speedway. Photo courtesy of Stateline Speedway

BUSTI — It was another classic Stateline Speedway Saturday night in the hills of Chautauqua County, capping off three consecutive days of racing action on the property.

Following a thrilling Friday night featuring the All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars, Saturday’s spotlight shifted to the Super Late Models.

Following hot laps for the Super Lates and RUSH Wingless Sprint Cars, heat race action kicked off with the Pro Stocks. In Heat 1, Brian Mohawk led the opening lap, but after briefly falling to Nick Robie on Lap 2, John Boardman made the move on the final circuit to take the win. Heat 2 saw Shane Apple take the early lead and dominate, while Brent Marrotto and Edward Merrick battled intensely behind him–Merrick ultimately prevailing.

In Super Late Model time trials, Bob Dorman posted the quickest lap after going out early, and his pace held through the session.

In RUSH Wingless Sprint Car heats, Cooper Fritz and Zack Wilson claimed dominant wins in their respective events.

The RUSH Stock Car heat saw Ken Moore Sr. lead the field to green, but Blaze Harrison quickly took over on Lap 1. Raiden Wilson surged past on the high side on Lap 2, but a mechanical issue handed the lead back to Harrison, who held off Kaden Michael for the win.

Super Late Model heats featured three stacked groups. In Heat 1, Dorman led them to green, but Max Blair took command through Turns 1 and 2, quickly followed by Chub Frank. Frank closed in, but didn’t have enough time to challenge. In Heat 2, Kyle Bedell led early, but Dave Hess Jr. executed a three-wide move to jump from third to first and never looked back. Jared Miley dominated Heat 3 from the pole, while Wes McCray fended off Darrell Bossard and Bump Hedman in a heated three-car battle–Hedman falling just short at the line by a nose.

Outlaw Modifieds brought three entertaining heats. Matt Kosinski paced the early part of Heat 1, but Greg Johnson made the high side work for the win. Mike Eschrich battled Cale Crocker late for second but ran out of time to hunt down the leader after that battle. In Heat 2, Dave Shagla led Lap 1, but veteran Al Brewer took over and cruised to victory. Heat 3 brought a tight battle between Mike McGee and Wyatt Scott, with Scott trying multiple times to edge by, but McGee hung on for the win.

The RUSH Crate Late Models had 26 entries. David Parker led wire to wire in Heat 1, holding off a late run from Drellos. Jason Genco claimed Heat 2 while holding off Jake Wilber and Breyton Santee. Heat 3 featured a veteran showdown as Randy Hall beat Ward Schell.

Challenger heats saw Dan Bittenger and Holden Heineman win decisively.

Feature action kicked off following the fireworks show presented by SKM Pyro.

The RUSH Wingless Sprint Cars were first up. On the opening lap, Trent Marshall flipped but returned for the restart. Zack Wilson took control after a short battle with Luke Mulichak, while Arnie Kent charged from ninth to second, steadily closing the gap. Wilson, however, had built too big of a cushion and claimed his first career RUSH Wingless Sprint Car victory.

Next came the $10,318-to-win Super Late Model main event. Max Blair and Dave Hess Jr. led the field to green, with Blair taking the early lead. Hess powered back in traffic, only for Blair to reclaim the top spot shortly after. By halfway, they had lapped over half the field. On a Lap 21 restart, Chub Frank surged past Hess, but Hess countered and began closing in on Blair again by Lap 33.

Meanwhile, Mike Knight stormed from 16th, battling Chub Frank for a podium position in one of the drives of the night. In the final laps, Hess and Blair split lapped traffic, including Kyle Bedell, in a wild sequence. With 10 laps remaining, Hess was running faster lap times, but couldn’t complete the pass. Blair held on through late-race pressure to score his second $10,000-plus payday of the weekend. In an video game like stat, the duo lapped up to sixth place, and when Blair crossed the line, the third-place car was just entering Turn 2.

In the Pro Stock feature, Boardman pulled away early while Jason Black and Shane Applebee battled for second. Black eventually cleared Applebee and reeled in Boardman but could only draw alongside his door as Boardman claimed the win.

RUSH Stock Cars followed, with Blaze Harrison fending off both Raiden Wilson and Kaden Michael to secure the win.

Outlaw Modifieds saw Mike Eschrich grab the lead from the pole sitter, only to be passed by Mike McGee on Lap 4. Wyatt Scott then executed a thrilling three-wide move with Greg Johnson, eventually working his way to second. However, McGee’s lead was too great, and he continued his strong season in Busti with another win.

The RUSH Crate Late Model feature delivered an instant classic. Zach Carley, Santee and Drellos were locked in a three-way battle early. Drellos used the top side to gain momentum, while Santee remained strong on the bottom. Carley held off both through the first half. A restart with seven laps to go allowed Drellos to again use the top groove to close in, and another yellow with two to go bunched the field. Carley held off one last charge to take the victory.

In the Challenger feature, Billi Jo Huffman led them to green, but Domingo Echevarria rocketed to the front and continued his Stateline dominance. Late in the race, Dan Bittenger mounted a high-side challenge, but it was too little, too late. Echevarria picked up his third straight win.

Racing returns this Saturday for the highly anticipated Modified Mafia Tour–a UMP-sanctioned event with a $16,000 payday on the line.