Hudson O’Neal Goes Back-to-Back at Ocala
Photo by Mike Ruefer
OCALA, Fla.—Hudson O’Neal took over the lead on lap 37 after race-long leader Brandon Overton suffered a left-rear flat tire, then led the remainder of the race to win the $25,000 Wieland Winter Nationals 50-lap feature Saturday night at Ocala Speedway.
It marked O’Neal’s second straight win at Ocala as he led Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, and Drake Troutman across the finish line.
Overton grabbed the lead at the start of the race with O’Neal, Troutman, and Brandon Sheppard in pursuit. Looking for his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since last May at Circle City in Indiana, Overton maintained a two-to-three car-length advantage as the top four ran within striking distance during much of the first 15 laps.
The top four remained unchanged until Overton slowed under caution with a flat left-rear tire, sending him to the Heartbeat Hot Sauce Hot Pit. O’Neal inherited the lead, and Sheppard moved past Troutman for third on lap 37.
Sheppard then advanced to second before suffering a right-rear flat tire with 40 laps complete. Moran moved into the runner-up position as he and sixth-starting McCreadie attempted to chase down O’Neal over the final five laps. However, O’Neal pulled away, crossing the finish line 1.474 seconds ahead to earn his nation-leading seventh win of the season.
The victory marked O’Neal’s 37th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series triumph. The 25-year-old Martinsville, Indiana native will head to Golden Isles Speedway next week as the series points leader.
“I’m speechless right now. I don’t even know what to say. What an amazing start to the year for this SSI Motorsports team,” said O’Neal. “We have to give credit where credit is due to Kevin Rumley and Longhorn Chassis, who have helped us along the way. It’s so awesome to be in this position. When I crossed the finish line, the first word that came to mind was ‘speechless.’ I just try to give glory to God and do the best we can every day. It wouldn’t be possible without all of you fans, these amazing racetracks, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series giving us a great place to race.”
“Even though we had a lot of rain yesterday and it was kind of uncertain today, Bubba and everyone here at Ocala Speedway worked their tails off to give us the best racetrack possible, and it turned out to be pretty good.”
Moran finished second after starting fifth, continuing his streak of top-10 finishes at Ocala. He has never finished outside the top 10 in LOLMDS competition at the Bubba Clem-promoted facility.
“It was a good points night. The 71 car is just a little bit better than we are right now,” Moran said. “He can get to the front quicker than we can. I’ve got to figure out why the only two heat races we’ve won this year, we’ve gone on to win the feature that night. We just need to work on our early-night package and start up front more often.”
“Honestly, Bubba and those guys did a way better job than any of us expected. We all thought it was going to get really rough and be really bad. It had a little chop, but all-in-all they did a great job,” added the Dresden, Ohio native, who currently sits second in the championship standings.
“If I was going to pass Hudson, it was going to have to come from his mistake — maybe if he got over the banking in turns three and four or pushed up into the wall in one and two. I was trying to stay close but also avoid flat tires or hurting the engine. We went four-for-four on the podium here this week, and I can’t complain.”
McCreadie, Thursday night’s Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race, rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third during Saturday’s finale.
“It stayed pretty tacky the whole time. Hats off to Bubba and his guys — they could have easily written it off and quit because it was such a big purse. I don’t think anybody would have blamed them, but they worked hard, and I hope we did it justice for everyone tonight. It was about all you could get tonight.”
The winning SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by Clements Racing Engines and sponsored by Big River Steel, Wheeler Metals, Merrill Bonding Company, Professional Concrete Cutting and Drilling, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Lineal Contracting, Beeman Lumber, Seven Spurs Ranch, Indiana USSSA Fast Pitch Softball, Sunoco Race Fuels, and Lucas Oil Products.
Completing the top 10 were Brendan Smith, Max Blair, Kyle Bronson, Ricky Thornton Jr., and Clay Harris.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Wieland Winter Nationals
Ocala Speedway | Ocala, FL
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Allstar Performance Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Drake Troutman | 14.525 seconds
Fast Time Group B: Brandon Overton | 14.338 seconds (Overall)
Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 22*-Drake Troutman[1]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[4]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 4. 12M-Ryan Montgomery[3]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[7]; 6. C4-Freddie Carpenter[9]; 7. 58V-Daulton Wilson[2]; 8. 79-Cory Hedgecock[5]; 9. 32J-Justin Weaver[8]
Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[2]; 3. 111-Max Blair[5]; 4. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 5. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[6]; 6. 11-Josh Rice[7]; 7. 13-Dallon Murty[4]; 8. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]
Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 9-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 93-Carson Ferguson[3]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 5. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[5]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[6]; 7. 77-Preston Luckman[7]; 8. 09-Michael Leach[8]; 9. 93L-Cory Lawler[9]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O'Neal[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 3. 99B-Boom Briggs[3]; 4. 19M-Brenden Smith[4]; 5. 6-Clay Harris[5]; 6. 8-Dillon McCowan[7]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 8. 15K-Cody Overton[6]
Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (6 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 11-Josh Rice[4]; 4. C4-Freddie Carpenter[3]; 5. 13-Dallon Murty[6]; 6. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]; 7. (DNS) 58V-Daulton Wilson; 8. (DNS) 79-Cory Hedgecock; 9. (DNS) 32J-Justin Weaver
UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 6-Clay Harris[2]; 2. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[1]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[4]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 5. 77-Preston Luckman[5]; 6. 09-Michael Leach[7]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[9]; 8. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 9. (DNS) 15K-Cody Overton
Wieland Winter Nationals Feature Finish (50 Laps):
Pos - Start - Car # - Competitor - Hometown - Earnings
1 - 4 - 71 - Hudson O'Neal - Martinsville, IN - $26,200
2 - 5 - 99 - Devin Moran - Dresden, OH - $11,100
3 - 6 - 9 - Tim McCreadie - Watertown, NY - $6,000
4 - 9 - 49 - Jonathan Davenport - Blairsville, GA - $4,000
5 - 1 - 22* - Drake Troutman - Hyndman, PA - $3,500
6 - 16 - 19M - Brenden Smith - Dade City, FL - $3,400
7 - 11 - 111 - Max Blair - Centerville, PA - $2,500
8 - 25 - 40B - Kyle Bronson - Brandon, FL - $900
9 - 8 - 20RT - Ricky Thornton Jr - Chandler, AZ - $3,300
10 - 18 - 6 - Clay Harris - Jupiter, FL - $2,800
11 - 7 - 3S - Brian Shirley - Chatham, IL - $2,000
12 - 20 - 76N - Blair Nothdurft - Renner, SD - $1,900
13 - 17 - 22 - Daniel Hilsabeck - Earlham, IA - $2,500
14 - 15 - 60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, MN - $2,400
15 - 3 - 1 - Brandon Sheppard - New Berlin, IL - $2,300
16 - 22 - 8 - Dillon McCowan - Urbana, MO - $1,500
17 - 2 - 76 - Brandon Overton - Evans, GA - $2,300
18 - 21 - 11 - Josh Rice - Crittenden, KY - $2,200
19 - 14 - 1T - Tyler Erb - New Waverly, TX - $1,500
20 - 10 - 93 - Carson Ferguson - Lincolnton, NC - $2,200
21 - 23 - 93L - Cory Lawler - Hanover, PA - $2,200
22 - 12 - 99B - Boom Briggs - Bear Lake, PA - $1,500
23 - 19 - 58 - Garrett Alberson - Las Cruces, NM - $2,200
24 - 13 - 12M - Ryan Montgomery - Fairmont, WV - $1,500
25 - 24 - 79 - Cory Hedgecock - Loudon, TN - $2,200
Race Statistics
Entrants: 34
Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Drake Troutman
MD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (Laps 1-36); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 37-50)
Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Brandon Overton
Wieland Feature Winner: Hudson O’Neal
Margin of Victory: 1.474 seconds
Hellraizer Jacks Cautions: Cory Lawler (Lap 10); Garrett Alberson (Lap 21); Brian Shirley (Lap 36); Carson Ferguson (Lap 39); Brandon Sheppard (Lap 43)
MyRacePass Series Provisionals: Cory Lawler; Cory Hedgecock
Fast Time Provisional: n/a
Emergency Provisionals: Kyle Bronson
Track Provisional: n/a
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie
Penske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, Drake Troutman
Behrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadie
PEM 4th Place Feature: Jonathan Davenport
Diversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Drake Troutman
Wilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Max Blair
Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Brian Shirley
Velocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Daniel Hilsabeck
XS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Brandon Sheppard
Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Kyle Bronson (Advanced 17 positions)
MD3 Most Laps Led: Brandon Overton (36 Laps)
Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O’Neal
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’Neal
O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/a
Pro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Overton | Lap 22 | 14.174 seconds
FK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Brandon Overton
Victory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Brandon Sheppard
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason Durham
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis
Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brenden Smith | 14.693 seconds
Time of Race: 28 minutes 39 seconds
Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:
Pos - Car # - Competitor - Hometown - Points - Earnings
1 - 71 - Hudson O'Neal - Martinsville, IN - 1185 - $63,200
2 - 99 - Devin Moran - Dresden, OH - 1135 - $46,800
3 - 76 - Brandon Overton - Evans, GA - 1045 - $21,00
4 - 1 - Brandon Sheppard - New Berlin, IL - 945 - $29,575
5 - 6 - Clay Harris - Jupiter, FL - 920 - $20,000
6 - 40B - Kyle Bronson - Brandon, FL - 920 - $10,100
7 - 93 - Carson Ferguson - Lincolnton, NC - 900 - $12,900
8 - 20RT - Ricky Thornton Jr - Chandler, AZ - 890 - $12,350
9 - 111 - Max Blair - Centerville, PA - 870 - $9,600
10 - 60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, MN - 865 - $11,325
11 - 3s - Brian Shirley - Chatham, IL - 855 - $10,500
12 - 11 - Josh Rice - Crittenden, KY - 840 - $10,325
13 - 79 - Cory Hedgecock - Loudon, TN - 795 - $8,800
14 - 58 - Garrett Alberson - Las Cruces, NM - 785 - $12,000
15 - 19M - Brenden Smith - Dade City, FL - 720 - $7,975
16 - 22 - Daniel Hilsabeck - Earlham, IA - 715 - $6,950
17 - 76N - Blair Nothdurft - Renner, SD - 655 - $4,650
18 - 13 - Dallon Murty - Chelsea, IA - 640 - $4,550
19 - 9 - Michael Leach - Sun River, MT - 640 - $3,500
20 - 8 - Dillon McCowan - Urbana, MO - 635 - $3,675
21 - 93L - Cory Lawler - Hanover, PA - 625 - $5,900
22 - 7 - Ross Robinson - Georgetown, DE - 625 - $3,925
23 - 77 - Preston Luckman - Coos Bay, OR - 610 - $3,025
24 - C4 - Freddie Carpenter - Parkersburg, WV - 540 - $700
25 - 5 - Mark Whitener - Middleburg, FL - 515 - $5,400
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