This wasn’t the Thanksgiving weekend Carson Hocevar and Ty Majeski had pictured. Two NASCAR Cup Series talents rolled into the Freedom Factory expecting to control the night, Majeski chasing back-to-back glory in the Bill Bigley Sr. Memorial 128 and Hocevar aiming to make a statement in his debut. But the script flipped fast. Instead of a showcase for the sport’s rising stars, a former Xfinity driver stormed in and snatched the spotlight, leaving both the headliners behind.

George Gorham Jr. claims his first-ever Memorial 128 win

George Gorham Jr. was overwhelmed by emotion in Victory Lane, saying, “This is a dream come true. Thanks to all of you fans for sticking us out. Guys, we work 40 hours a week, bust our a–, excuse my language, to make this happen. All my guys have got full-time jobs. We ain’t no big team.”

The 38-year-old driver walked away with the biggest triumph of his super late model career on Saturday night at the Freedom Factory, storming from 12th on the grid to the top spot and pocketing $30,000 in the 10th annual Bill Bigley Sr. Memorial 128.

Even though Gorham topped the charts in qualifying, the 12-car drop put him deep into traffic for the start of the 28-car feature. With the race running almost entirely green, with only a single caution on the second lap, he carved through the field with precision. On lap 67, he powered past last year’s Memorial winner, Ty Majeski, and never looked back.

From that moment on, Gorham was untouchable. He built a staggering lead, lapping all but two cars by the finish. He crossed the line more than eight seconds ahead of Majeski, while NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar trailed a further four seconds behind.

” We spend every dollar we’ve got to do to this. I can’t thank Ricky and his crew enough for putting on these races,” Gorham Jr. added. “Ty Majeski, Hocevar, all of them for coming down. My brother-in-law, Mario, Vince, Lamar, my wife Michelle. My father-in-law would be so proud. He’s up in heaven. This is for him, right here. This is the best thing going.”

For the Florida short track veteran, it marked his first victory in seven attempts at the Bigley Memorial and his first UARA national win after previously posting a best finish of fourth. Nothing and no one can take this night away from him.

However, Majeski had quite a tough weekend. The NASCAR Truck Series driver settled for second after having to switch to a backup car. A broken oil pump belt sidelined the primary machine earlier in the day, though he didn’t believe that was what kept him from challenging Gorham.

“I don’t know that that was the difference. Congrats to George and the 10 team,” Majeski said. “We were just the next best, I guess. Overall, great effort, so proud of my team. From the time we blew the engine, unloaded the backup car, got this thing out, it was like 25 minutes, super impressive.”

But even with Majeski’s effort, Carson Hocevar ended up stealing more than a few eyes, delivering a gritty drive in his first-ever appearance in the Bill Bigley Sr. Memorial 128.

Carson Hocevar reflects on his fun Bill Bigley run

Carson Hocevar completed the podium in his very first start at the Bigley Memorial, delivering a composed run after beginning the night on the front row alongside pole sitter Cody Brison. After the race, the NASCAR Cup Series sophomore explained how he kept himself mentally locked in through the long green flag stretch.

“It was a lot of fun,” the Spire Motorsports driver  said. “I was reminding myself that we were still passing cars, because I think second and third were checked out from fourth. The 10 was way checked out on us, so I just reminded myself that my stuff’s not driving good, but there’s a lot more people that are driving way worse.”

For the No. 77 driver, the result marks a strong start to a very busy December. Instead of heading to Pensacola for the Snowball Derby like many of his peers, like Kyle Busch, the 23-year-old is preparing for dirt races.

He will be running the modified event at the Gateway Dirt Nationals this week. Having previously raced there in 2022 and placing a solid P12 finish, this win has just given him the confidence he needed. With a packed schedule and momentum on his side, Carson will have plenty of eyes watching his next move.