Hudson O’Neal celebrates after winning Saturday night’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series feature at Volusia Speedway Park. Photo: Jacy Norgaard
Hudson O’Neal scored a historic victory on Saturday night at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida.
The 22-year-old from Martinsville, Indiana won his first World of Outlaws CASE Late Model race during the DIRTcar Nationals finale and became the 100th different winner in series history.
“It’s cool,” O’Neal said. “I came really close to winning these World of Outlaws races and for some reason never can seal the deal on them. To do it in the fashion we did and to be able to do it, it’s cool. It’s just more to do with Mark (Richards, owner of Rocket1 Racing) and the history that he has with the Outlaws. It’s special. This is a day I’ll never forget, I promise you.”
O’Neal’s space in victory lane was shared with Tim McCreadie, who clinched the 2023 Big Gator championship with his fourth-place finish. The Watertown, New York driver put together finishes of second, first, first, third and fourth to lock up his second Big Gator trophy.
Like O’Neal, McCreadie also made history as he became the first driver in the event’s history to win two Big Gator titles in two divisions. His first came with the Super DIRTcar Series in 2018.
“It’s pretty cool,” McCreadie said. “Not a lot of guys go out and venture to do something different. My whole career is about, ‘Hey, let’s go try and do something and have some fun with it and see if I’m good enough to overcome not knowing what to do with a different type of race car.’
Tim McCreadie celebrates with the Big Gator trophy after wrapping up the DIRTcar Nationals title on Saturday night at Volusia Speedway Park. Photo: Jacy Norgaard
“Hasn’t always worked out, but to come down here (at Volusia Speedway Park) and get a couple of these (Big Gator trophies) with all these fans here, that’s pretty cool.”
When the 50-lap, $20,000-to-win, feature initially lined up, the easy bet seemed to be on McCreadie, who drew the pole. O’Neal, buried in 23rd after transferring in through a Last Chance Showdown, seemed far out of reach for a successful takeoff.
At the drop of the green flag, McCreadie launched ahead of the field, while outside pole sitter Chris Madden slid back to fourth in the first corner, moving Brian Shirley into second and Evans, Georgia’s Brandon Overton in third.
The first caution of the night came at lap 3 for a slowed Mason Ziegler. In that short amount of time, O’Neal was already up to 12th-place.
Once the race resumed, McCreadie left Shirley and Overton to argue over second place. Six laps later, he found the back of the field. The straightaway led he had over Shirley was cut to a few car lengths in two laps.
Finally close enough to make a move, Shirley dove under McCreadie into turn 1 on lap 19, nosing ahead of him by the center of the corner. However, McCreadie had the better run around the top of the track and gapped Shirley by a car length off turn 2.
O’Neal was up to eighth.
By the halfway point of the race, Madden had found his groove again and moved into second. A caution on lap 29 for Mike Spatola stopping in turn 4 brought the current series points leader to McCreadie’s rear bumper.
At this point, the firing of the thrusters on O’Neal’s machine could be heard as he sat fourth in line on the restart.
Shirley and Madden waged a war for second before Shirley began to master the top and try to run down McCreadie for the lead. However, again, he failed. That opened the door for Devin Moran to move forward, bringing O’Neal with him.
While McCreadie was caught behind Jimmy Owens, Moran dove underneath to claim the lead on lap 42. One lap later, O’Neal also worked his way underneath McCreadie to take second.
Staying within reach of Moran, O’Neal moved to the top of the track while Moran hugged the bottom. When Moran had to wait on the throttle exiting turn 4 with a lap car ahead of him, O’Neal blasted around the outside to take the lead on lap 45.
Moran tried to keep pace, but O’Neal ran a perfect trajectory to the checkered flag.
“To be honest, we took the green and I rode the middle and I felt like I could steer a little bit better than everybody could,” O’Neal said. “I started rolling around there and catching that middle and started driving by some guys stacked up on the bottom and the first caution came out (three) laps in and I looked up and I’m running 12th. I thought, ‘Oh man, starting 12th is a whole lot better than starting (23rd),’ and we had a lot of laps left.
“There for a while I was passing them, and I stalled out about fourth or so there and I just thought I don’t know if I have anything for them or not. I used my stuff up hard trying to get there. I don’t know, man, sometimes things just workout. Tonight, was one of those nights.”
Moran finished in second, with Ricky Thornton, Jr. third, McCreadie fourth, and Overton fifth.
The World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series continues its 2023 season at Smoky Mountain Speedway on March 3-4. For more information, visit WorldofOutlaws.com.
World of Outlaws CASE Late Model Series
Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, FL
DirtCar Nationals – February 18, 2023
1. 1-Hudson O’Neal
2. 99-Devin Moran
3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, Jr.
4. 39-Tim McCreadie
5. 76-Brandon Overton
6. B5-Brandon Sheppard
7. 44-Chris Madden
8. 32-Bobby Pierce
9. 8-Brian Shirley
10. 111-Max Blair
11. 18D-Daulton Wilson
12. 40B-Kyle Bronson
13. 19R-Ryan Gustin
14. 12-Ashton Winger
15. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr.
16. B1-Brent Larson
17. 9-Nick Hoffman
18. 18-Chase Junghans
19. 11-Gordy Gundaker
20. 25-Shane Clanton
21. 99B-Boom Briggs
22. 22*-Payton Freeman
23. 96V-Tanner English
24. 20-Jimmy Owens
25. 17M-Dale McDowell
26. 99JR-Frank Heckenast, Jr.
27. 49-Jonathan Davenport
28. 76N-Blair Nothdurft
29. 89-Mike Spatola
30. 25Z-Mason Zeigler
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