KOKOMO, Ind. — Hudson O’Neal started on the pole and led all but one lap en route to winning Monday’s $100,000 top prize in XR Super Series dirt late model competition at Kokomo Speedway.
Driving Mark Richards’ familiar No. 1 Rocket house car, O’Neal was the class of the field, holding off Brandon Sheppard by .716 seconds for the highest-paying triumph of his career.
Ricky Thornton Jr. shared the front row with O’Neal and grabbed the lead on the second lap, only to have O’Neal shoot back to the front on lap three.
O’Neal led the remainder of the distance for the victory.
Sheppard finished second, ahead of Bobby Pierce and Ryan Unzicker, who started 10th.
Tanner English made a charge through the field from 19th to finish fifth.
O’Neal was the fast qualifier for the 42-car field, with a lap of 13.880 seconds.
Dale McDowell finished 10th and maintains the series point lead.
The finish:
Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Sheppard, Bobby Pierce, Ryan Unzicker, Tanner English, Mike Marlar, Tyler Erb, Brian Shirley, Jonathan Davenport, Dale McDowell, Shannon Babb, Ryan Gustin, Devin Moran, Ricky Weiss, Jason Feger, Ethan Dotson, Daulton Wilson, Shane Clanton, Joseph Joiner, Spencer Hughes, Kyle Bronson, James Walters, Jimmy Owens, Ricky Thornton Jr., Billy Moyer.
