GIBSONTON, Fla. (Feb. 7) — In his first night out at East Bay Raceway Park, Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., finished second to Jonathan Davenport. And on Wednesday night, the Dream Team driver finished one spot better, collecting a $7,000 payday in his first career Wrisco Industries Winternationals victory.
Overtaking race leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., on lap 26 of 40, second-starting Overton led the remaining distance, scoring his third career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and the first win of his 2018 campaign.
“I ain’t really good to start first over here,” Overton said in victory lane. “The racetrack changes so much. Josh (Richards passed me) on that bottom and kind of showed me where I needed to be. I knew we had a good car. I was just kind of waiting. I let him get out there and get comfortable and try to slow his pace down a little bit.
“I started feeling it. I started driving as hard as I can. That’s probably the hardest I’ve ever drove. This racetrack, it’s probably, I don’t know, 100 laps I’ve made around this place. It’s bad to the bone for sure."
As polesitter Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., Overton and Richards raced three-wide on the first lap, it was Owens pulling ahead out of turn four to take an early lead. Owens and Richards ran side-by-side through the opening circuits, with Richards edging ahead of Owens at the line to assume the point on lap four.
Improving from the fifth starting spot, Gregg Satterlee of Indiana, Pa., slipped past Owens to run in second on lap eight, with the race’s first caution falling one lap later. Richards set the pace out front as the race went back green, as Owens and Overton battled for third, closing in on second-running Satterlee. Sliding ahead of Owens in turn two, third-running Overton was set to challenge Satterlee for the second-place spot when another yellow flag waved on lap 17.
Restarting in the outside lane, Overton shot past Satterlee into second, quickly reeling in Richards. The pair crossed the line side-by-side on lap 19, but Overton was unable to make a pass for the lead. Regaining his momentum, Overton slid ahead of Richards in turns three and four on lap 26, charging to the front of the field.
With only 10 laps remaining, Overton approached lapped traffic. But Richards was unable to close the gap between himself and the race leader, settling for a runner-up finish at the checkered flag.
“We had a pretty good car,” Richards said. “I could just tell my balance … I was having to scoot the car a little bit too much on entry and waste a little bit of time. Then once (Overton) passed me, he really didn’t pull away, so I think if we tweak it just a little bit … we’re getting the car more comfortable, for sure.”
Satterlee finished third, with sixth-starting Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., running fourth. Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., rounded out the top five.
“Our car is definitely going in the right direction,” Satterlee said. “We kind of had a rough start last week at Brunswick and then we came down here and didn’t run very well on Monday. But it was much better last night. We got in a tangle there running in the top three and it was just kind of unfortunate how it ended up. We made a couple of adjustments tonight from what we learned last night and I think we had a really good car."
Notes: The race was slowed by two cautions. … The first yellow flag flew on lap nine when Boom Briggs and Mike Benedum tangled on the frontstretch. … Mason Zeigler spun in turn two, collecting Shane Tankersley to draw a caution on lap 17; Scott Bloomquist pitted under the yellow flag with a right-rear flat. … After leading the first few laps, Jimmy Owens retired early on lap 19.
Preliminary notes and results:
Pre-feature notes
Feature polesitter Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., will shoot for his first East Bay victory since 2013 while his front-row mate Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., has never won a Winternationals event. … Boom Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa., was the fastest qualifier in the first group driving his 2018 Club 29 Race Car for the first time since it was sidelined by a hot-lap accident last Saturday at Golden Isles Speedway. He settled for second place in the prelim after throwing a serious challenge on winner Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., on the final circuit. “A few more Busch Lites (last night) and he would’ve won,” quipped Briggs’s crew chief Shane Winans. “He just didn’t get a good start.” … Opening-night feature winner Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., provided a succinct summation of his performance after timing fourth-to-last in qualifying and placing a dismal sixth in his heat: “No good.” He went on to fall one spot short of transferring in the second B-main but earned the 24th and final starting spot in the feature by winning the Strawberry Dash. … Mike Benedum of Salem, W.Va., who debuted a new Sweet-Bloomquist car on Wednesday, couldn’t parlay his overall fast-time honor in qualifying into a transfer spot in the fourth heat; he started from the pole but was shuffled back to sixth on the opening lap and didn’t recover. He gained entry to the feature with a fast-time provisional. … Lucas Oil Series provisionals went to Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., whose frustrating week continued with his involvement in a two-car spin early in the fourth heat, and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla. McCreadie will be pulling out a backup car for the feature. … Donald McIntosh of Dawsonville, Ga., wore a dejected look after finishing fourth in Heat 6. “I think we broke a motor,” he said after his powerless 007 Chassis machine was pushed back to the pit area because its Burick . “Water is coming out of the heads.” A Lucas Oil Series Rookie of the Year hopeful, McIntosh said he has another motor in his trailer, “but honestly, I don’t know if we’re gonna put it in or go home.”
DirtonDirt.com Strawberry Dash results
Finish (winner transfers to feature): Brandon Sheppard, Tim Dohm, Morgan Bagley, Shanon Buckingham, Chase Junghans, Nick Davis, Rance Garlock, Jonathan Rowan, Coleby Frye, Freddie Carpenter, Carder Miller, Blake Spencer, Travis Stemler, Corey Conley, Greg Oakes.
DirtonDirt.com Strawberry Dash lineup
Row 1: Tim Dohm, Brandon Sheppard
Row 2: Chase Junghans, Shanon Buckingham
Row 3: Nick Davis, Morgan Bagley
Row 4: Rance Garlock, Travis Stemler
Row 5: Freddie Carpenter, Corey Conley
Row 6: Blake Spence, Coleby Frye
Row 7: Ryan King, Jonathan Rowan
Row 8: Carder Miller, Greg Oakes
Second consolation
Second-starting Don O’Neal shot ahead down the backstretch, but it was polesitter Mason Zeigler edging ahead at the line to lead the first lap. A yellow flag waved on lap five for third-running Jason Jameson, who slowed his smoking No. 12 off the pace down the backstretch. Brandon Sheppard challenged O’Neal for second the restart, with O’Neal pulling away a couple of laps later. Zeigler won the consolation, with O’Neal taking the second and final transfer spot.
Finish (top two transfer): Mason Zeigler, Don O’Neal, Brandon Sheppard, Shanon Buckingham, Morgan Bagley, Rance Garlock, Freddie Carpenter, Blake Spencer, Ryan King, Carder Miller, Jason Jameson, Tim McCreadie, Jeff Mathews.
First consolation
Outside polesitter Kyle Bronson charged to the lead at the drop of the green flag, with the first caution falling on lap one for a turn-four tangle involving Craig Wolford and Allen Murray. Gaining momentum from the restart, Scott Bloomquist shot ahead of Tim Dohm to run in second, with Chase Jungans improving from the sixth-starting spot to run fourth. Bronson and Bloomquist distanced themselves from the remainder of the field at the halfway mark, with Bronson setting a torrid pace out front. Bronson won the consolation, with Bloomquist finishing second to transfer to the feature.
Finish (top two transfer): Kyle Bronson, Scott Bloomquist, Tim Dohm, Chase Junghans, Nick Davis, Earl Pearson Jr., Travis Stemler, Corey Conley, Coleby Frye, Jonathan Rowan, Greg Oakes, Joey Moriarty, Craig Wolford, Bob Gardner, Bob Geiger, Allen Murray.
Consolation lineups
(12 laps; top two transfer)
First consolation
Row 1: Tim Dohm, Kyle Bronson
Row 2: Scott Blooqmuist, Nick Davis
Row 3: Travis Stemler, Chase Junghans
Row 4: Coleby Frye, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 5: Jonathan Rowan, Greg Oakes
Row 6: Joey Moriarty, Corey Conley
Row 7: Allen Murray, Bob Geiger
Row 8: Bob Gardner, Craig Wolford
Row 9: Doug Drown
Second consolation
Row 1: Mason Zeigler, Don O’Neal
Row 2: Donald McIntosh, Jason Jameson
Row 3: Freddie Carpenter, Shanon Buckingham
Row 4: Mike Benedum, Morgan Bagley
Row 5: Brandon Sheppard, Blake Spencer
Row 6: Jeff Mathews, Rance Garlock
Row 7: Tim McCreadie, Ryan King
Row 8: Carder Miller, Bryon Meeks
Sixth heat
With the front-row starters racing side-by-side down the backstretch, Jonathan Davenport edged ahead of Devin Moran to lead the first lap. As Davenport stretched his lead early, Brian Shirley challenged Moran for second, with Donald McIntosh running a close fourth. Shirley and Moran traded sliders late-race, with Moran pulling ahead for good on lap eight. Dominating the entire 10-lap distance, Davenport won the heat, with Moran and Shirley rounding out the podium.
Finish (top three transfer): Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Brian Shirley, Donald McIntosh, Shanon Buckingham, Brandon Sheppard, Rance Garlock, Carder Miller.
Fifth heat
Working around the top side, Dennis Erb Jr., pulled ahead of Bobby Pierce to take an early lead, as teammates Don O’Neal and Darrell Lanigan battled behind the leaders for third. Maintaining a solid lead throughout the race, Erb picked up the heat race win, with Pierce finishing second. Lanigan edged out O’Neal at the line to grab the third and final transfer spot.
Finish (top three transfer): Dennis Erb Jr., Bobby Pierce, Darrell Lanigan, Don O’Neal, Freddie Carpenter, Morgan Bagley, Jeff Mathews, Ryan King.
Fourth heat
After two failed attempts to start the race, second-startingBrandon Overton charged to the front of the field as the race went green, with polesitter Mike Benedum falling back to fifth on the first lap. Overton stretched his lead to nearly a full straightaway at the halfway mark, as Hudson O’Neal and Billy Moyer Jr. raced side-by-side for second. Overton won the heat, with Moyer Jr. overtaking O’Neal on lap eight to finish second. O’Neal ran third to transfer to the feature.
Finish (top three transfer): Brandon Overton, Billy Moyer Jr., Hudson O’Neal, Mason Zeigler, Jason Jameson, Mike Benedum, Blake Spencer, Tim McCreadie, Byron Meeks.
Third heat
Polesitter Gregg Satterlee edged ahead of Timothy Culp at the line to lead the opening lap, with Culp falling back to battle Austin Hubbard for second in the early running. Satterlee extended his lead to a half straightaway by lap five, as Scott Bloomquist attempted to reel in Hubbard for the third-place spot. Satterlee won the consolation, with Culp finishing second. Pulling away from Bloomquist late-race, Hubbard grabbed the third and final transfer spot.
Finish (top three transfer): Gregg Satterlee, Timothy Culp, Austin Hubbard, Scott Bloomquist, Chase Junghans, Jonathan Rowan, Corey Conley, Bob Gardner.
Second heat
Second-starting Jesse Stovall slid ahead of polesitter Kyle Bronson in turns three and four to lead the opening lap, as Josh Richards shot from the sixth starting spot to run in third. A yellow flag waved on lap two when Craig Wolford slowed off the pace. Using the restart to his advantage, Richards pulled ahead in turns one and two to lead lap three. With Richards stretching his lead at the halfway mark, Tyler Erb slipped past Bronson to run in third. Richards won the heat, with Stovall and Erb rounding out the podium.
Finish (top three transfer): Josh Richards, Jesse Stovall, Tyler Erb, Kyle Bronson, Travis Stemler, Earl Pearson Jr., Joey Moriarty, Bob Geiger, Craig Wolford.
First heat
Fourth-starting Jimmy Owens slipped ahead of the front-row starters to take an early lead, as outside polesitter Tim Dohm fell back to fourth in the early running. With Owens holding a solid lead at the halfway mark, Briggs began reeling in the race leader. Nearly getting sideways down the backstretch, third-running Nick Davis fell back to fifth on the seventh lap. Briggs challenged Owens in turn two on the final lap, but it was Owens picking up the heat race win.
Finish (top three transfer): Jimmy Owens, Boom Briggs, Shane Tankersly, Tim Dohm, Nick Davis, Coleby Frye, Greg Oakes, Allen Murray.
Heat race lineups
(10 laps; top three transfer)
First heat
Row 1: Boom Briggs, Tim Dohm
Row 2: Nick Davis, Jimmy Owens
Row 3: Shane Tankersley, Coleby Frye
Row 4: Doug Drown, Allen Murray
Row 5: Greg Oakes
Second heat
Row 1: Kyle Bronson, Jesse Stovall
Row 2: Tyler Erb, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 3: Travis Stemler, Josh Richards
Row 4: Craig Wolford, Joey Moriarty
Row 5: Bob Geiger
Third heat
Row 1: Gregg Satterlee, Timothy Culp
Row 2: Chase Junghans, Austin Hubbard
Row 3: Scott Bloomquist, Corey Conley
Row 4: Jonathan Rowan, Bob Gardner
Fourth heat
Row 1: Mike Benedum, Brandon Overton
Row 2: Billy Moyer Jr., Hudson O’Neal
Row 3: Mason Zeigler, Jason Jameson
Row 4: Tim McCreadie, Blake Spencer
Row 5: Byron Meeks
Fifth heat
Row 1: Bobby Pierce, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 2: Darrell Lanigan, Don O’Neal
Row 3: Jeff Mathews, Morgan Bagley
Row 4: Freddie Carpenter, Ryan King
Sixth heat
Row 1: Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran
Row 2: Shanon Buckingham, Brian Shirley
Row 3: Donald McIntosh, Rance Garlock
Row 4: Brandon Sheppard, Carder Miller
Pre-race notes
The gorgeous weather continues for Night 3 of the Winternationals with partly sunny skies and high temperatures in the low 80s. … Wednesday’s 51-car field will push the program to six heats and marks the first time since the 2011 Winternationals that the car count has topped 50. … Clint Bowyer Racing teammates Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., are ready for action after sitting out the week’s first two events. … Doug Drown of Wooster, Ohio, has arrived at East Bay to spend the final four nights behind the wheel of a Longhorn car fielded by Ernie Norton of Ocala, Fla. Drown was hooked up with Norton, who had Floridians Ivedent Lloyd Jr. and Mark Whitener drive his machine the last two years, through a former Malcuit Race Engines employee who now lives in Florida. … Nick Davis of Gumboro, Del., is making his first start of the 2018 Winternationals. … Tim Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., reported that his two-race-old Swartz car survived his smack of the backstretch wall during Tuesday’s feature without serious damage. He repaired the right-front suspension and nose and is set to race. … Winternationals rookie Travis Stemler of Ionia, was knocked out of Tuesday’s B-main by a broken water pump. … Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., will stick with the Dunn-Benson Racing car he ran in Tuesday’s feature after the machine he began the night in was sidelined by a busted oil-pump belt in the B-main. The backup mount carries a larger Pro Power-built 430 cubic inch Ford engine that Pierce’s crew-chief father, Bob, said should be better suited to the fast conditions prevailing so far at East Bay. “We’ll keep the big motor in and keep on trucking, see what we got,” the elder Pierce said. … Lee Roy Rumley, the father of Jonathan Davenport’s team engineer Kevin Rumley, is celebrating his 82nd birthday. He was presented a cake at the Lance Landers team’s hauler on Wednesday afternoon. … With the late-afternoon news that this weekend’s season-opening World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series doubleheader at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga., has been canceled due to an unfavorable weather forecast, the field for East Bay’s final three nights figures to get a boost from prospective WoO regulars who will remain in Florida. The list of drivers includes Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., Tyler Erb of New Waverly, Texas, Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Ark., Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kan., and Timothy Culp of Prattsville, Ark. In addition, Screven’s cancelation has prompted Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., to point his hauler to East Bay for Thursday night’s action with other expected Screven entrants also considering a trip to the Winternationals.
Pre-race setup
The winner’s purse increases to $7,000 on Wednesday night as Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competitors gear up for the third of six rounds of Wrisco Industries Winternationals action. With 51 cars on hand, East Bay Raceway Park boasts its highest Winternationals car count since 2011.
With two nights in the books, Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., and Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., have each made a trip to victory lane. Tuesday’s feature nearly ended with another last-lap pass, with Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., settling for a runner-up finish at the checkers.
Wednesday’s program will include time trials, six heat races, two consolations, the DirtonDirt.com Strawberry Dash and the 40-lap main event. The top three finishers from each heat race and top two finishers from each consolation will transfer to the feature. Provisionals (two series, one fast time and the dash winner) will make up the final two rows of the feature lineup.
Time trial results
Driver (car no.), hometown, time
Group A
Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., 14.807
Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 14.813
Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., 14.835
Tim Dohm (6), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 14.838
Jesse Stovall (00), Galena, Mo., 14.841
Timothy Culp (C8), Prattsville, Ark., 14.866
Nick Davis (92), Millsboro, Del., 14.894
Tyler Erb (91), New Waverly, Texas, 14.919
Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 14.921
Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 14.962
Earl Pearson Jr. (1), Jacksonville, Fla., 14.988
Austin Hubbard (11), Seaford, Del., 15.001
Shane Tankersley (T31), Blue Ridge, Ga., 15.029
Travis Stemler (2), Ionia, Mich., 15.036
Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 15.063
Coleby Frye (0), Dover, Pa., 15.085
Josh Richards (1), Shinnston, W.Va., 15.088
Corey Conley (14), Wellsburg, W.Va., 15.123
Doug Drown (C02), Wooster, Ohio, 15.169
Craig Wolford (36), Saint Louisville, Ohio, 15.233
Jonathan Rowan (56), Jackson, Tenn., 15.245
Allen Murray (2M), San Antonio, Texas, 15.455
Joey Moriarty (51), Peoria, Ariz., 15.463
Bob Gardner (4G), East Peoria, Ill., 15.607
Greg Oakes (22), Franklinville, N.Y., 15.862
Bob Geiger (38), Laurel, Del., 16.758
Group B
Mike Benedum (25), Salem, W.Va., 14.524
Bobby Pierce (32), Oakwood, Ill., 14.572
Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 14.588
Brandon Overton (116), Evans, Ga., 14.611
Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 14.721
Devin Moran (9), Dresden, Ohio, 14.734
Billy Moyer Jr. (21), Batesville, Ark., 14.771
Darrell Lanigan (14), Union, Ky., 14.781
Shanon Buckingham (50), Morristown, Tenn., 14.813
Hudson O’Neal (71), Martinsville, Ind., 14.821
Don O’Neal (5), Martinsville, Ind., 14.842
Brian Shirley (3S), Chatham, Ill., 14.849
Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 14.912
Jeff Mathews (33), Apollo Beach, Fla., 14.913
Donald McIntosh (7), Dawsonville, Ga., 14.951
Jason Jameson (12), Lawrenceburg, Ind., 14.956
Morgan Bagley (14m), Longview, Texas, 14.965
Rance Garlock (72), Three Springs, Pa., 14.971
Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 15.041
Freddie Carpenter (0K), Parkersburg, W.Va., 15.098
Brandon Sheppard (1), New Berlin, Ill., 15.133
Blake Spencer (6S), St. Augustine, Fla., 15.231
Ryan King (1G), Seymour, Tenn., 15.291
Carder Miller (69*), Salem, Va., 15.37
Byron Meeks (01), Parkersburg, W.Va. , no time
