Hudson O’Neal Continues To Impress With Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Win At Port Royal
Story By: LUCAS OIL LATE MODEL DIRT SERIES – PORT ROYAL, PA – Coming off the biggest win of his racing career last Saturday Night in Batesville, Arkansas, Hudson O’Neal took his winning ways to Port Royal Speedway on Thursday Night in the opening round of the Rumble by the River.
O’Neal’s fifth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season earned him $10,000 as the 20-year-old Indiana native becomes the first driver on the tour to go over the $200,000 mark in season earnings.
O’Neal and Jonathan Davenport came across the line dead-even for the lead on the opening lap at Port Royal. Davenport got too high in turn two though, allowing O’Neal to get by and go on to lead the rest of the race.
Davenport came home in second, for the second straight race, to O’Neal. Ricky Thornton Jr. crossed the line in third with Shane Clanton fourth, and 16th-starting Tim McCreadie rounding out the top five drivers.
O’Neal’s 12th career series win did not come without some tense moments. “Before that last caution I planted it in the wall. I didn’t get the right front, but I got the right rear hard. I knew we were knocking the spoiler off. A big shoutout to my guys. They have been working hard and not giving up. I think sometimes they have a better mindset than I do and that’s what it’s all about. I am just so happy I can deliver this for them. This is just a huge confidence booster for the rest of the weekend.”
Davenport picked up some championship points with his second-place run. “I just needed to get the lead there. The top finally started to slow down with about five laps to go. I could run him down in three and four, but then I would lose some ground in one and two. Congratulations to him, he only missed one time and it was when I was moving around, and I wasn’t close enough to him.”
Thornton Jr., the top Eibach Springs Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, rounded out the podium in third. “We were really good tonight. We came here last year and wasn’t bad against the wall, tonight we ran mostly off the wall. Congrats to Hud and JD, we’ll back at it tomorrow night.”
The winner’s Roger Sellers Double Down Motorsports, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Lazydays RV, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, 2150 Enterprises, Lucas Oil Products, WR1 Sim Chassis, Midwest Sheet Metal, and Tarpy Trucking.
Completing the top ten were Kyle Hardy, Gregg Satterlee, Michael Norris, Colton Flinner, and Mike Marlar.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Rumble by the River – Night 1
Thursday, August 26th, 2021
Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, PA
Allstar Performance Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 18.879 seconds
Fast Time Group B: Jimmy Owens / 18.546 seconds (overall)
Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 45-Kyle Hardy[5]; 3. 72-Michael Norris[3]; 4. 48-Colton Flinner[2]; 5. 76H-Andy Haus[6]; 6. 39T-Tim Smith Jr[4]; 7. 66C-Matt Cosner[8]; 8. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[10]; 9. D19-Dillan Stake[9]; 10. 1Z-Logan Zarin[7]; 11. 32J-Shaun Jones[11
Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 2. 72C-Jason Covert[3]; 3. 22-Gregg Satterlee[7]; 4. 2J-Jeff Rine[6]; 5. 86B-Austin Berry[1]; 6. 43A-Tyler Bare[4]; 7. 0E-Rick Eckert[5]; 8. 4-Gary Stuhler[8]; 9. 94M-Jason Miller[9]; 10. C33-Chris Casner[10]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 3. 22F-Chris Ferguson[4]; 4. 2D-Dan Stone[5]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 6. 14-Josh Richards[7]; 7. 1ST-Johnny Scott[6]; 8. 7R-Ross Robinson[10]; 9. 24Y-Dylan Yoder[8]; 10. 59-Chad Julius[11]; 11. (DNS) 11B-Brian Booze
Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[3]; 2. 11H-Spencer Hughes[2]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 5. 2S-Stormy Scott[9]; 6. 0H-Dale Hollidge[6]; 7. 24D-Michael Brown[7]; 8. 06-Mike Lupfer[10]; 9. 2T-Kyle Lee[8]; 10. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich[11]; 11. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]
LINE-X B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76H-Andy Haus[1]; 2. 86B-Austin Berry[2]; 3. 0E-Rick Eckert[6]; 4. 43A-Tyler Bare[4]; 5. 4-Gary Stuhler[8]; 6. D19-Dillan Stake[9]; 7. 39T-Tim Smith Jr[3]; 8. 66C-Matt Cosner[5]; 9. 94M-Jason Miller[10]; 10. C33-Chris Casner[12]; 11. 1Z-Logan Zarin[11]; 12. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[7]; 13. 32J-Shaun Jones[13]
UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 2. 2S-Stormy Scott[2]; 3. 1ST-Johnny Scott[5]; 4. 14-Josh Richards[3]; 5. 7R-Ross Robinson[7]; 6. 24D-Michael Brown[6]; 7. 0H-Dale Hollidge[4]; 8. 40B-Kyle Bronson[14]; 9. 24Y-Dylan Yoder[9]; 10. 06-Mike Lupfer[8]; 11. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich[12]; 12. 2T-Kyle Lee[10]; 13. (DNS) 59-Chad Julius; 14. (DNS) 11B-Brian Booze
Rumble by the River Night 1 Feature Finish (30 Laps):
| Pos | Start | Car # | Competitor | Hometown | Pay |
| 1 | 2 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | $10,000 |
| 2 | 1 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | $5,500 |
| 3 | 6 | 20RT | Ricky Thornton Jr. | Adel, IA | $3,500 |
| 4 | 4 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | $2,700 |
| 5 | 16 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY | $2,500 |
| 6 | 5 | 45 | Kyle Hardy | Linden, VA | $2,300 |
| 7 | 11 | 22 | Gregg Satterlee | Indiana, PA | $2,200 |
| 8 | 9 | 72 | Michael Norris | Sarver, PA | $2,100 |
| 9 | 13 | 48 | Colton Flinner | Allison Park, PA | $2,050 |
| 10 | 3 | 157 | Mike Marlar | Winfield, TN | $2,000 |
| 11 | 23 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | Brandon, FL | $1,600 |
| 12 | 12 | 1T | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | $1,400 |
| 13 | 8 | 11H | Spencer Hughes | Meridian, MS | $1,200 |
| 14 | 18 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | $1,000 |
| 15 | 24 | 14 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | $950 |
| 16 | 22 | 1ST | Johnny Scott | Las Cruces, NM | $925 |
| 17 | 15 | 2J | Jeff Rine | Danville, PA | $900 |
| 18 | 14 | 2D | Dan Stone | Thompson, PA | $875 |
| 19 | 25 | 1 | Earl Pearson Jr | Jacksonville, FL | $850 |
| 20 | 17 | 76H | Andy Haus | Hamburg, PA | $825 |
| 21 | 20 | 2S | Stormy Scott | Las Cruces, NM | $800 |
| 22 | 21 | 0E | Rick Eckert | York, PA | $800 |
| 23 | 26 | 66C | Matt Cosner | Ridgeley, WV | $800 |
| 24 | 10 | 22F | Chris Ferguson | Mt. Holly, NC | $800 |
| 25 | 19 | 86B | Austin Berry | South Mifflin, PA | $800 |
| 26 | 7 | 72C | Jason Covert | York Haven, PA | $800 |
| 27 | 27 | 24Y | Dylan Yoder | Middleburg, PA | $800 |
Race Statistics
Entrants: 43
Lap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 1); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 2 – 30)
Wrisco Feature Winner: Hudson O’Neal
Arizona Sport Shirts CJC – Presented by DirtOnDirt Feature Winner: n/a
Brandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Hudson O’Neal
Margin of Victory: 0.961 seconds
Stop Tech Brakes Cautions: Rick Eckert (Lap 12); Chris Ferguson (Lap 22); Debris (Lap 27)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Kyle Bronson, Josh Richards
Series Emergency Provisionals: Earl Pearson Jr, Matt Cosner
Track Provisional: Dylan Yoder
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr
Penske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr, Shane Clanton, Tim McCreadie
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Kyle Bronson (Advanced 12 Positions)
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadie
Hot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Hudson O’Neal (29 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tyler Erb
Eibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr.
Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal (Lap 2 –19.354 seconds)
Fast Shafts Tough Break of the Race: Chris Ferguson
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Trevor Crittenden (Hudson O’Neal)
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Race Engine
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket Chassis
Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tim McCreadie (18.327 seconds)
Time of Race: 20 minutes 39 seconds
