ROSSBURG, Ohio — Chris Madden and Brandon Overton took advantage of late-race restarts to win the 25-lap, $12,000-to-win Dirt Late Model Dream preliminary features on Saturday afternoon.
Chris Madden passed Brian Shirley with nine laps remaining to win the first 25-lap, $12,000-to-win feature of the 28th Dirt Late Model Dream.
While the Gray Court, S.C., driver, gained momentum, he had concerns after something went amiss on his car coming to the white flag.
“Something went wrong out there coming to the white flag; we lost a cylinder or something,” Madden said. “So, we got to get back to the pit and make an engine change or figure out what happened.
“If we get this fixed, I think we got a great shot at it. We’ve had a great race car every day.”
The good news for Madden is a wire came unplugged on his Rocket Chassis, so his crew will not have to make any significant changes before the Dirt Late Model Dream Heat Races.
Brian Shirley, Tyler Erb, Scott Bloomquist, and Dale McDowell rounded out the top five.
Brandon Overton rolled past Devin Moran on a lap-19 restart to score the win in the second preliminary feature at Eldora Speedway.
It’s the Evans, Ga., driver’s seventh win at “The Big E” in the last two years, after not qualifying for the Eldora Million on Thursday.
Overton is optimistic in his quest for a third straight Dirt Late Model Dream.
“Yesterday and the day before, I was just trying to make it,” Overton said. “We’ve been working all week, and just nothing’s worked out for us.
“I’m happy to be back here. I hate it for Devin [Moran]. You just never know what to do when you’re leading.”
The finishes:
First Feature (25 Laps): 1. Chris Madden, 2. Brian Shirley, 3. Tyler Erb, 4. Scott Bloomquist, 5. Dale McDowell, 6. Brandon Sheppard, 7. Chris Ferguson, 8. Tim McCreadie, 9. Nick Hoffman, 10. Carson Ferguson, 11. Jimmy Owens, 12. Ricky Weiss, 13. Earl Pearson Jr., 14. Jonathan Davenport, 15. Shannon Babb, 16. Cade Dillard, 17. Mason Zeigler, 18. Chase Junghans, 19. Johnny Scott, 20. Stormy Scott, 21. Spencer Hughes, 22. Austin Kirkpatrick, 23. Bobby Pierce, 24. Daulton Wilson
Second Feature (25 Laps): 1. Brandon Overton, 2. Ricky Thornton Jr., 3. Devin Moran, 4. Zack Dohm, 5. Michael Page, 6. Kyle Strickler, 7. Dennis Erb Jr., 8. Ryan Gustin, 9. Garrett Alberson, 10. Hudson O’Neal, 11. Josh Rice, 12. Mack McCarter, 13. Frank Heckenast Jr., 14. Kenny Collins, 15. Mark Whitener, 16. Chub Frank, 17. Jeep Van Wormer, 18. Ashton Winger, 19. Victor Lee, 20. Wil Herrington, 21. Joseph Joiner, 22. Chad Simpson, 23. Mike Marlar, 24. Dustin Linville