Brandon Overton celebrates in victory lane after sweeping the Late Model Dream race week at Eldora Speedway. Photo: Joshua Carpenter
When the week began, the thought of one driver coming into Eldora Speedway and leaving Rossburg, Ohio with over a quarter million dollars was just a dream.
But it’s not a dream anymore. It’s reality. Brandon Overton of Evans, Georgia completed one of the greatest achievements in dirt track racing history Saturday night with his fourth consecutive feature win in four days, sweeping both the 27th and 26th runnings of the Dirt Late Model Dream for an incredible $273,000 in total prize money.
Overton is now only the second driver in history to win back-to-back Dreams, joining eight-time event winner Scott Bloomquist with that achievement, which he conquered in 2017 and 2018.
“To grow up as a kid, watching all these guys here at Eldora… this place is so special to the Dirt Late Model world and the racing world, period. To get it done, I don’t know that I’ll ever top this,” Overton said.
His feature wins on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night involved a pass for the lead before he cruised to the finish line unchallenged. But Saturday night was different – Overton lost the lead for 10 laps and was forced to take it back in his quest for the $126,000 winner’s check.
A second-place finish in Heat Race #1 to Kyle Larson earlier in the night seeded Overton seventh on the starting grid, which forced him to make his way up through the top-10 in the opening stages. He said that Heat Race loss was actually the kick in the pants that he needed.
“Probably the best thing that happened to me was (Kyle) Larson beating me in that Heat Race,” Overton said.
When the green dropped, Overton went and got them all. Including the polesitter, Darrell Lanigan.
Lanigan, the 2003 Dream winner, led the first 52 circuits before Overton hunted him down on a restart just before halfway and made the pass with a big move to Lanigan’s outside in turns 1-2.
Back in command at the head of the field, it seemed like Overton would just cruise to another big payday. Enter Chris Madden.
Madden, of Gray Court, South Carolina, started his climb from 10th on the grid and gradually made his way through the field in the first half of the race. By lap 70, he was staring down Overton’s bumper.
A caution four laps later put Madden right on Overton’s outside for the restart, where he sailed around him with ease to grab the lead on lap 75.
At that point, Overton knew the battle was far from over.
“We had that restart, and I spun my tires a little bit, and Madden got to running through that middle,” said Overton. “He got me, but I knew if I could just keep pace with him and keep pressuring him… he’d have to chop me off or run me in the wall if he was going to get down.
“I knew I had a good car, but I’ve come here and watched these things… it ain’t over until it’s over. So, I knew all I had to do was just stay right there in contention and I’d have my shot again.”
Madden led the next six circuits before Overton challenged him back. The two traded the lead back-and-forth three laps in-a-row before Overton took it back permanently on Lap 86.
“The rubber started coming, and I couldn’t stay in the rubber,” Madden said. “(Overton) was a lot better in that stage of the race, and I couldn’t fend him off.”
From that point on, nobody was catching Overton. He found his groove right in the middle of the track and pulled away by over two seconds at the checkers to win his second career Eldora crown jewel.
Madden came home second and bagged $20,000 in his best career finish at the Dream. Chris Ferguson charged from 13th to finish third, with Blairsville, Jonathan Davenport fourh and Lanigan in fifth.
Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio
Dirt Late Model Dream – June 12, 2021
1. 76-Brandon Overton
2. 44-Chris Madden
3. 22-Chris Ferguson
4. 49-Jonathan Davenport
5. 29-Darrell Lanigan
6. 6-Kyle Larson
7. 25-Shane Clanton
8. 39-Tim McCreadie
9. 22S-Gregg Satterlee
10. 17M-Dale McDowell
Low generic sildenafil 100mg levels of testosterone in the body which is important to maintain healthy weight. It buy levitra professional look at this now improves sperm count and offers effective cure for male infertility. Medication includes, Antacids, H2 levitra cheapest price blockers, Proton pump inhibitor, Antibiotics, antidiarrheal agents etc. http://www.wouroud.com/order-1826 buy levitra from india Systemic JRA or Still’s disease is the category which commences with high-intensity fever as well as rashes which arise and disappear suddenly and involve the internal organs of the woman. 11. 16-Tyler Bruening
12. 20-Jimmy Owens
13. 9-Devin Moran
14. 40B-Kyle Bronson
15. 32-Bobby Pierce
16. 25Z-Mason Zeigler
17. 157-Mike Marlar
18. 0-Scott Bloomquist
19. 1P-Earl Pearson, Jr.
20. 8-Kyle Strickler
21. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, Jr.
22. 1-Brandon Sheppard
23. 17-Zack Dohm
24. 7-Ricky Weiss
25. 19R-Ryan Gustin
26. 6H-Nick Hoffman
27. 11H-Spencer Hughes
28. 18B-Shannon Babb
Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio
Dirt Late Model Dream – June 11, 2021
1. 76-Brandon Overton
2. 39-Tim McCreadie
3. 40B-Kyle Bronson
4. 17M-Dale McDowell
5. 1-Brandon Sheppard
6. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr.
7. 49-Jonathan Davenport
8. 17-Zack Dohm[15]
9. 6H-Nick Hoffman
10. 71-Hudson O’Neal
11. 157-Mike Marlar
12. 7-Ricky Weiss
13. 6-Kyle Larson
14. 18B-Shannon Babb
15. 3S-Brian Shirley
16. 37-Jacob Hawkins
17. 9-Devin Moran
18. 14-Josh Richards
19. 32-Bobby Pierce
20. 22-Chris Ferguson
21. 1S-Chad Simpson
22. 20-Jimmy Owens
23. 4G-Kody Evans
24. 21-Billy Moyer
25. 25Z-Mason Zeigler
26. 2S-Stormy Scott
27. 83-Scott James
28. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, Jr.
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