What won the race: Using a turn-three slide job by race-long leader Dale McDowell on the 28th lap, fifth-starting Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., led the rest of Friday's 40-lap Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series debut at Sugar Creek Raceway. Owens held off McDowell over the final 13 laps, beating him to the checkers by 0.217 of a second for the $8,000 payday and his third career HTF Series victory.

Quotable: “I’m a little wore out right now, it’s a little rough up on that cushion. It was fun, I know I had to do something to try and get around Dale (McDowell), he was just too smooth through the middle,” Owens said. “I thought I could get him on a couple of them (restarts) cause he was pushing out, but the problem is, I was pushing right out with him. It was a good race, it was fun and it’s a fun little racetrack.”

Key notes: Owens earned his second victory in the last week after snapping a 15-month winless drought last Saturday at Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, Ky., worth $10,053 on the Schaeffer's Spring Nationals. ... It's Owens's first HTF Series victory since a $10,000 payday on Aug. 19, 2023, at East Alabama Motor Speedway in Phenix City, Ala. ... Dale McDowell led the opening 27 laps from the pole before giving way to Owens. ... Sixth-starting Sam Seawright surged as high as second on a lap-15 restart before Owens slipped back by on a lap-19 restart, relegating Seawright to finish third. ... Cory Hedgecock improved five positions finishing 10th. ... The 40-lapper lasted 46 minutes after being slowed by eight incidents, including multicar pileups in turn four on laps two and five. … The lap-two melee appeared to start when Josh Putnam and David Payne made contact, sending Payne spinning and several drivers scrambling to avoid. Payne and Jensen Ford continued until tangling again in turn four on the fifth lap, ending their nights. … Dalton Cook overcame spins in both incidents and rebounded to finish 11th. … Joseph Joiner tangled with Dillard Hatchett for the race’s third slowdown on the seventh lap, then drew the fourth yellow flag on the ensuing restart when he slowed with a flat left rear. Hatchett continued to finish 14th, with Joiner soldiering to 16th, the first driver one lap down. … Christian Hanger slowed from 19th on lap 11 before pulling off. … Tucker Anderson spun from fourth on the lap-11 restart, collecting Putnam and Chris Woods, among others. Anderson and Woods did not continue, while Putnam made two additional laps before spinning on the 14th lap and retiring. … Caden Mullinax’s flat left rear drew the final stoppage on the 19th lap; he did not continue.

On the move: Ricky Weiss of Headingley, Manitoba, started 12th and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: Owens drives a Koehler Motorsports Rocket Chassis powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Reece Monument, Ultimate Towing & Recovery, Boomtest Well Service, Tim Short Auto Group, Capital Waste, Five Star Metal Buildings, Red Line Oil, Sybesma Graphics, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems, Midwest Sheet Metal, Capital Electric and Delph Communications.

Points chase: After Sugar Creek: 1. Zack Mitchell (358); T2. Jimmy Owens (348); T2. Sam Seawright (348); 4. Ricky Weiss (344); 5. Cory Hedgecock (342).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 77°F

Car count: 34

Fast qualifier: Zack Mitchell

Time: 14.362 seconds

Polesitter: Dale McDowell

Heat race winners: Zack Mitchell, Tucker Anderson, Dale McDowell, Casey Roberts

Consolation race winners: Jackson Hise, Christian Hanger

Provisional starters: Joseph Joiner, Dillard Hatchett, Mario Gresham

Next series race: May 17, Smoky Mountain Speedway (Maryville, TN) $15,000