4/19/2023
O'Neal rebounds with fourth-place finish at Brownstown Speedway
Hudson O’Neal seemed to be cruising to the $23,023 Castrol FloRacing Night in America victory at Brownstown Speedway on Tuesday night before a piece of debris cut his tire with just three laps remaining.
He rejoined the back of the pack and rebounded to a 12th-place finish aboard his Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model. The next night at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway he registered a fourth-place finish.
“The flat tire at Eldora (Speedway) was a tough one to swallow. There was a little piece of debris on the track that cut down a tire with just three laps remaining. Until that point this car was on an absolute rail. Then on Wednesday night at Brownstown (Speedway) we had a good car but passing got tough there during the second half of the feature, but we still came away with a fourth,” O’Neal said. “We’re definitely excited to be getting back to Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series action this weekend. It seems like forever since we raced with the series at East Bay (Raceway Park), and we ended things down there with a lot of momentum.”
Looking to defend their 2022 title, Rocket1 Racing invaded Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, Ohio) on Tuesday afternoon with Hudson O’Neal piloting the Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Super Late Model in the 2023 Castrol FloRacing Night in America season opener.
Amassing a talented field of 54 Super Late Models, Hudson outran fellow front-row starter Shannon Babb in his heat race to pick up the win. Starting the feature in fifth, O'Neal lost a few spots early but began his pursuit for pole-starting Mike Marlar on lap 15 as the front-runner built a commanding lead on the field.
Tracking down Marlar with seven laps remaining, Hudson led the ensuing three circuits but contact with a piece of debris on the track flattened his right-front tire. He pitted for a fresh tire and rejoined the tail of the field before rebounding to 12th in the final rundown.
For another $23,023-to-win Castrol FloRacing Night in America event on Wednesday at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway, Hudson clocked in third-fastest in his group before placing first in his heat race.
Clawing forward one spot in the 50-lap feature, O’Neal crossed the line in fourth, which came behind Ricky Thornton Jr., Mike Marlar, and Devin Moran with Dennis Erb Jr. in fifth.
With the first two events in the books, O'Neal is currently in a three-way tie for sixth in the Castrol FloRacing Night in America point standings.
Full results from the events are available at www.FloSeries.com.
Hudson will resume action with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) this Friday-Sunday with a northeastern tripleheader. The swing opens with an $18,049-to-win event on Friday at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway before shifting to Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Saturday for a $15,000-to-win race. The weekend draws to a close on Sunday evening at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway with a $10,000-to-win finale.
Hudson is second in the latest LOLMDS standings.
For more information on the weekend, please visit www.LucasDirt.com .
Article Credit: Josh James image
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