SYLVANIA, Ga. (Feb. 7) — Brandon Overton carried indubitably high expectations into this week’s Winter Freeze XVI at Screven Motor Speedway. Fortunately for the Evans, Ga., driver, those expectations weren’t deferred.

Motivated to deliver for his 11-month-old daughter Stevie and a large contingent of supporters, the 34-year-old Overton made sure he wouldn’t leave disappointed Saturday, leading 48 of the 50 laps in a commanding performance to complete a $35,000 weekend sweep at the third-mile oval near his backyard.

Although Overton led 113 of the 115 laps contested across the pair of Southern All Star Dirt Series-sanctioned features Friday and Saturday, finale runner-up Daulton Wilson of Fayetteville, N.C., didn’t let the home-state favorite cruise uncontested. Wilson led laps seven and eight and remained within striking distance through the closing stages.

“I was so damn nervous because I know she was here tonight. That’s more pressure than anyone could put on me. I’m like, ‘Damn, my little girl’s here. I just wanna win one for her,’” Overton said in victory lane. “Yeah, I’m glad she’s here. Like I said, it feels good to be back in Georgia, back where I grew up at. I just wanna thank all the fans.

“I wanna thank (series promoter) Ray (Cook) for putting this event on. I love racing at Screven. That was my race to lose.”

Overton had to navigate a feature fragmented by seven cautions, but his game plan on how to execute every restart — using up as much of the middle groove as possible through turns one and two — was never in question.

“That’s the line I run. I float one and two, and kind of leave and always see who’s behind me, or who’s below me,” said Overton, who powered to the race lead from the initial start when he blasted off the top groove around pole-starting Dan Ebert. “I just didn’t move because I knew we put a little softer tire on tonight. I was just trying to protect and not do anything stupid and give it away.”

While Overton used the high side to get the lead, Wilson found a tick more speed around the bottom in the early going, even completing the go-ahead pass for the lead putting around the inside groove as they rounded the frontstretch to take lap eight. Not letting Wilson shake free, Overton countered with a slider into the opening corner on lap nine, which was just enough momentum for the Georgia driver to edge out Wilson to lead lap nine by 0.095 of a second.

Whether Overton had the better car or simply relied upon virtual home-track knowledge of the third-mile oval, anything less than a victory Saturday wouldn’t have satisfied him.

“Like I said, I’m supposed to be good here. I’ve said it all week. The telltale will be when we get to Volusia (Speedway Park next Monday for the start of the DIRTcar Nationals),” Overton said. “It’s just different. You have everybody there. It doesn’t matter when everybody comes to Screven and races, you still have your local guys and the people who grew up here who are fast. Just next week, like I said, we have everybody. We’ll see what we got.

“We’re having fun. We have a great team, a great car owner, great supporters. We’ll gonna give ‘em hell.”

For Wilson, a runner-up finish behind Overton marked his best result to date in his relatively new partnership with Viper-Big Frog Motorsports. It also represented a rebound from Friday’s misfortune, when he spun from ninth just six laps into the 35-lap feature. Entering Screven’s Winter Freeze, Wilson had posted finishes of 21st, 19th and 12th, respectively, during Jan. 22–24’s DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park as part of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series opening weekend.

Battling Overton on Saturday was as much about respect for the Georgia superstar as it was pushing himself to the limit.

“That was a heckuva race between me and him. Me and him race really hard all the time,” Wilson said. "I wanted to make sure I leave him a lane and race him really clean. Maybe a half a lap there when I took the lead I could’ve done something a little different to stay in front of him. All in all, my guys been busting their butts putting this deal together.

“It was last-minute, and we have our head down trying to get caught up. First of all, thanks to Augie (Bertram) and Shawn (Martin) for putting this deal together. … I think this is a sign of things to come.”

As for third-place finisher Ryan Gustin, the Marshalltown, Iowa, driver put forth a respectable podium run from the seventh-starting spot. Despite numerous restart attempts to take a potential stab at the lead battle, Gustin admitted he just wasn’t on the level of Overton and Wilson.

He didn’t lack for effort as the World of Outlaws campaigner sustained spoiler damage while pushing the uppermost part of the racetrack trying to keep pace.

“Them guys were just pretty good. They could enter a lot harder and straighter I felt like than I could; get pointed and leave a little better,” Gustin said. “Half our spoiler is missing, so we were up there banging the boards, trying to put on a show for the fans.”

Feature lineup

(50 laps)

Row 1: Dan Ebert, Brandon Overton
Row 2: Drake Troutman, Tucker Anderson
Row 3: Daulton Wilson, Payton Freeman
Row 4: Ryan Gustin, Cody Overton
Row 5: Garrett Smith, John Henderson
Row 6: Austin Smith, Casey Roberts
Row 7: Dalton Cook, Beckham Malone
Row 8: Ross Bailes, Michael Leach
Row 9: Preston Luckman, Billy Franklin
Row 10: Matthew Larson, Benji Hicks
Row 11: Chris Woods, Dillon Daves
Row 12: Payton Stevenson, Kendall Franklin

Consolation race results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

Finish: Matthew Larson, Benji Hicks, Chris Woods, Dillon Daves, Payton Stevenson, Allen Styck, Broughton Boatright, Kendall Franklin, Jake Jackson. Scratched: Trent Ivey.

Heat race recap

Second-starting Dan Ebert fired off from the outside front row and led all eight laps in winning the night’s first heat race by 0.460 of a second over third-starting Tucker Anderson. Anderson outdueled polesitter Ryan Gustin in the opening two laps, leaving Gustin to settle for third. Eighth-starting Michael Leach improved a couple spots to grab the sixth and final transfer position into Saturday’s 50-lap main event. … Brandon Overton overcame an early restart and scored a flag-to-flag victory in the second heat, taking the checkers 1.510 seconds ahead of third-starting Daulton Wilson. Seventh-starting Cody Overton improved four spots to finish third while second-starting Austin Smith held on for fourth. The night’s first caution flag flew for an opening lap tangle between Kendall Franklin and Jamie Oliver; Franklin retired and was credited with ninth while Oliver continued until pulling off on the final lap and placed eighth. … Third-starting Drake Troutman used a turn-three slide job by race-long leader Payton Freeman on the fifth lap and led the final four circuits to win the third and final heat race by 2.007 seconds over Freeman. Polesitter Garrett Smith slipped to finish third while eighth-starting Billy Franklin climbed two positions to earn the sixth and final transfer spot into the $25,000-to-win Winter Freeze finale.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top six transfer)

First heat: Dan Ebert, Tucker Anderson, Ryan Gustin, John Henderson, Dalton Cook, Michael Leach, Jake Jackson, Benji Hicks, Payton Stevenson, Broughton Boatright.

Second heat: Brandon Overton, Daulton Wilson, Cody Overton, Austin Smith, Beckham Malone, Preston Luckman, Matthew Larson, Jamie Oliver, Kendall Franklin. Scratched: Trent Ivey.

Third heat: Drake Troutman, Payton Freeman, Garrett Smith, Casey Roberts, Ross Bailes, Billy Franklin, Chris Woods, Allen Styck, Dillon Daves.

Time trials

Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 14.330
2. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 14.556
3. Garrett Smith (10), Madison, Ga., 14.564
4. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., 14.588
5. Austin Smith (11), Cedartown, Ga., 14.627
6. Payton Freeman (F1), Commerce, Ga., 14.698
7. Tucker Anderson (22), Blairsville, Ga., 14.712
8. Daulton Wilson (58v), Fayetteville, N.C., 14.742
9. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 14.758
10. John Henderson (2x), Aiken, S.C., 14.769
11. Kendall Franklin (317), Calera, Ala., 14.861
12. Casey Roberts (101), Toccoa, Ga., 14.864
13. Dalton Cook (44D), Smiths Station, Ala., 14.929
14. Beckham Malone (23), Rock Hill, S.C., 15.004
15. Ross Bailes (16), Clover, S.C., 15.021
16. Jake Jackson (J1), Gilkey, N.C., 15.044
17. Jamie Oliver (38), Murphy, N.C., 15.117
18. Allen Styck (11s), Americus, Ga., 15.198
19. Payton Stevenson (24), Locust Grove, Ga., 15.204
20. Cody Overton (97), Evans, Ga., 15.233
21. Chris Woods (17), Statham, Ga., 15.258
22. Michael Leach (09), Sun River, Mont., 15.291
23. Preston Luckman (77), Coos Bay, Ore., 15.305
24. Billy Franklin (17F), Calera, Ala., 15.340
25. Broughton Boatright (9B), Thunderbolt, Ga., 15.435
26. Matthew Larson (8), Lake Elmo, Minn., 15.468
27. Dillon Daves (35), Franklin, N.C., 15.733
28. Benji Hicks (55), Mount Airy, N.C., 15.825
29. Trent Ivey (88), Union, S.C., no time

Saturday’s schedule

(All times local)
9 a.m. - Gates open
3:30 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
4 p.m. - On-track activity
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Sport compact hot laps
- 604 Crate group qualifying
- Crown Vic group qualifying
- Factory stock group qualifying
- 602 Crate group qualifying
- Super Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Sport compact non-qualifier race (15 laps)
- Super Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Intermission/track prep
Feature events
- Super Late Models (50 laps)
- Crown Vics (15 laps)
- 602 Crates (20 laps)
- Sport compacts (30 laps)
- Factory stocks (15 laps)
- 604 Crates (25 laps)