Spencer Hughes’ runner-up finish to Ronald Dunn at the Clash at Magnolia Motor Speedway proved the 15-year-old Meridian native isn’t invincible at the venue.
Until the June 18 race, Hughes had won four-straight Street Stocks races at The MAG. Every race at the track this year had been won by Hughes or Dunn. Hughes hasn’t finished outside the top three at Magnolia this season.
Hughes’ ascent to the top of the Street Stocks division isn’t limited to Magnolia. The Meridian native leads regional touring series, the NeSmith Performance Parts Street Stocks points, and has won 11 races thus far.
“It’s been fun, but, at the same time, it’s a little more stressful because you have a target on your back,” Hughes said. “I’m the hunted, and you have to work hard to stay on top of everything and not fall off.”
Hughes will attempt to add to his win total tonight during a slate of features at Magnolia, which will play host to weekly races for Street Stocks, NeSmith Late Models, Factory Stocks, and a $2,000-to-win Comp Cams Super Late Model feature.
Hughes began a string of races this weekend with a fourth-place finish Friday at Greenville Speedway.
After his winning streak was snapped at Magnolia, Hughes said he didn’t feel a sense of relief that the run had ended. Instead, the second-place finish reinforced the work ethic he and his team had developed since last season, when he was named the 2015 Mississippi Street Stocks Series Rookie of the Year.
“The loss probably made us work a little bit harder in the shop this weekend,” Hughes said. “It got us up on our toes. We just seemed to finally find what works for us and me as a driver. We’re just trying to run with it, and every week add a little bit to our notebook of what we know.”
Hughes’ run through Street Stocks shouldn’t be a surprise. Although he can’t legally drive without a licensed adult, he has displayed his racing ability in go-karts, where he won several state championships and notched a top-five in a national title race.
“I’m proud of (Hughes),” said Jay Burchfield following a race earlier this year. “He’s done a heck of a job. At that age, I was racing go-karts. You don’t see a lot of kids doing what he’s doing. He’s really trucking.”
Hughes’ father, Johnny, raced Street Stocks, Late Models, and Sprint Modifieds. Spencer Hughes said his father hung up his helmet when Spencer and his sister, Ellie Hughes, began racing go-karts. Ellie, Spencer’s younger sister, races Factory Stocks.
Spencer also has learned about racing through Mike Boland, racer and owner of Boland Performance in Cuba, Alabama.
“It’s very competitive,” Hughes said of Street Stocks. “If you want to go win Saturday night … the days of leaving it on the trailer and not washing it are over with. You got to really work on it to run with them.
“The nerves don’t really get to me, even though these a bit more pressure added each week.”
Hughes hopes to move up to late models soon.
“We need a good sponsor,” he said. “It’d be nice to have someone help us out on a Crate car or something.”
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