Hudson O’Neal celebrates in victory lane after winning the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season opener on Thursday night at Golden Isles Speedway. Photo: LOLMDS Media
Defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion Hudson O’Neal started his title defense by winning the tour’s season opener. O’Neal led all but one lap to win on Thursday night at Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, Georgia.
O’Neal yielded the lead for one lap to Blairsville, Georgia’s Jonathan Davenport on lap 22 but fought back to regain the point and go on to win the 40-lap race by 0.633 seconds. Davenport held on for second over Evans, Georgia’s Brandon Overton, who won four of the previous six Super Bowl races at Golden Isles.
Overton came home in third, followed by Ricky Thornton, Jr. in fourth, and Brandon Sheppard in fifth.
O’Neal started on the pole and grabbed the lead at the start of the race. Jimmy Owens, looking for his 81st career win with the series, ran in second for the first six laps until yielding the spot to Davenport.
The race was a hotly contested battle for most of the 40 laps as several drivers were in contention to pick up the opening night win. O’Neal stumbled slightly in turn two, opening the door for Davenport to take the lead on lap 22, but O’Neal came right back to regain the point.
With cautions on lap 27 and lap 30, the field stayed bunched up behind O’Neal for the restarts, but when O’Neal stayed on the high-side to hold off Davenport and Overton at the end as the final 10 laps went caution-free.
O’Neal was asked about the lap that nearly led to his downfall.
“The top was just blowing a lot of crumbs across it. If you didn’t get set enough you would lose the front end halfway through the corner,” O’Neal said. “Jonathan got back by me and did the exact same thing and let me get back by him. Things just worked out in our favor, and I thought that one mistake I made it was going to be it, but fortunately he made a little bobble over there in two and got us back in it.”
“The restarts actually calmed me down a little bit,” said O’Neal. “I was nervous whenever we got to lapped traffic, because I didn’t know where to go. Whenever the cautions come out it actually gave me a little bit of a clean racetrack again for a few laps. My race car was awesome all night long.”
Jimmy Owens, Kyle Bronson, Devin Moran, Daulton Wilson, and Dennis Erb, Jr. rounded out the top 10.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series returns to action on Friday night at Golden Isles Speedway. For more information, visit LucasDirt.com.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Golden Isles Speedway – Waynesville, GA
Super Bowl of Racing Night 1 – January 25, 2024
1. 1-Hudson O’Neal
2. 49-Jonathan Davenport
3. 76-Brandon Overton
4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton, Jr.
5. B5-Brandon Sheppard
6. 20-Jimmy Owens
7. 40B-Kyle Bronson
8. 99-Devin Moran
9. 18D-Daulton Wilson
10. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr.
11. 58-Garrett Alberson
12. 7T-Drake Troutman
13. 5-Mark Whitener
14. 7-Ross Robinson
15. 6-Clay Harris
16. 157-Mike Marlar
17. 111-Max Blair
18. 10-Garrett Smith
19. 79-Donald McIntosh
20. 39-Tim McCreadie
21. 25-Tony Jackson, Jr.
22. 99B-Boom Briggs
23. 1T-Tyler Erb
24. 17M-Dale McDowell
25. 46-Earl Pearson, Jr.
26. 75-Daniel Adam
27. 44-Chris Madden
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