LAKE CITY, Fla. — Hudson O’Neal charged from his fourth starting position to take the lead with 20 laps remaining in Saturday night’s 50-lap Wieland Winter Nationals feature at All-Tech Raceway, capturing his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season.
O’Neal had to survive a late-race caution with five laps to go after third-running Mark Whitener climbed the wall in turn four. Whitener, who led a race-high 26 laps, suffered right-front suspension damage in the incident and was unable to finish.
On the restart, O’Neal held off Brandon Overton to secure his first victory at All-Tech in 13 appearances at the Florida facility. Overton crossed the line second, just 0.804 seconds behind the third-generation driver. Clay Harris capped off a strong week at All-Tech with his second podium finish, taking third. Garrett Alberson finished fourth, followed by Carson Ferguson in fifth.
Harris jumped to the early lead in the $15,000-to-win feature as weather loomed from the northwest, pacing the field for the first three laps before Whitener took control.
Whitener, who entered the weekend as the driver in the field with the most competitive laps at All-Tech, was seeking his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory.
The race’s first caution flew on lap 17 for Michael Leach. Whitener maintained the lead on the restart, with O’Neal running second after starting fourth. O’Neal stalked Whitener until lap 30, when he executed an inside move off turn four to take command.
Whitener settled into second as Overton began applying pressure. Overton briefly took over the runner-up spot on lap 36, but Whitener reclaimed the position a lap later. Overton finally secured second for good on lap 41, dropping Whitener to third. Four laps later, Whitener’s bid for his first LOLMDS podium ended when he climbed the wall in turn four, bringing out the race’s second and final caution.
With five laps remaining and a single-file restart ahead, O’Neal executed flawlessly to fend off Overton and seal the victory.
The win marked O’Neal’s 35th Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series triumph. The 2023 series champion also recorded his fifth overall victory of the season, making him the early-season winningest driver in the nation.
“I definitely didn’t want to see that caution,” said O’Neal. “I felt like I had a good race car, but the top getting into turn one was so far out there that it really opened me up to a slide job if I didn’t get a good restart. I just focused on hitting my marks and making sure I pinched that last tire and got as low as I could down the front straightaway.
“I tried to create as much separation as possible. I really thought Whitener was going to be hard to beat. He was running that top really well and was on the ragged edge. I was just trying to pace myself. Luckily, I found something on the bottom in lapped traffic, and it all worked out. I’ve never won here before, so it’s a great feeling to win somewhere new.”
Overton, who is returning for another full season with the series, admitted All-Tech has traditionally been a challenging venue for him. Still, he leaves the track with a five-point championship lead heading to Ocala next week.
“We’ll take it because this was supposed to be our tough week,” Overton said. “We set fast time in our group every night, won two heats, and were on the podium two nights. This place is super tricky. I think I had a winning car tonight. I struggled early on the bottom — the first couple of laps I tried to poke my nose down there and they just drove around me on the top. Once I moved up, we were really good. Congrats to Hudson and Clay — they’ve been fast all weekend.”
Harris finished the week at All-Tech with a second- and third-place finish and believes a mistake on Thursday likely cost him a shot at three podium results.
“I just couldn’t run that top like those other guys could,” Harris said. “I hit the tractor tire with the right front and it knocked the toe out, ripped the steering wheel out of my hands. I had to gather it back up and get it back together. Then there at the end, I guess I decided to hit it again.”
Wieland Winter Nationals Feature Finish (50 Laps):
Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings
1 – 4 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $16,100
2 – 1 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $7,700
3 – 2 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $5,700
4 – 8 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $4,700
5 – 11 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $3,700
6 – 21 – 99JR – Frank Heckenast Jr – Frankfort, IL – $2,500
7 – 9 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $3,600
8 – 10 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $3,000
9 – 19 – 79 – Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – $2,900
10 – 18 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $2,100
11 – 22 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,700
12 – 13 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $2,500
13 – 6 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $1,600
14 – 14 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $1,500
15 – 16 – 44 – Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – $1,400
16 – 5 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $1,300
17 – 17 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $1,900
18 – 23 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $2,200
19 – 3 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – $1,000
20 – 7 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $1,700
21 – 15 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $1,000
22 – 12 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – $1,000
23 – 20 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – $1,000
24 – 24 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $1,700
