Dirt on Dirt - Brandon Overton cruises to Winter Freeze opener

February 6

Screven Motor Speedway,

Sylvania, GA

Sanction: Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series (Winter Freeze XVI prelim) - $10,000

Information provided by: Kevin Kovac, series and track reports (last updated February 7, 4:03 am)

Brandon Overton cruises to Winter Freeze opener

Winter Freeze XVI prelim

Brandon Overton
Garrett Smith
Casey Roberts
Ryan Gustin
Trent Ivey
Payton Freeman
Tucker Anderson
Benji Hicks
Drake Troutman
Preston Luckman
Allen Styck
Billy Franklin
Dan Ebert
Kendall Franklin
Austin Smith
Ross Bailes
Chris Woods
Payton Stevenson
Beckham Malone
Steven Roberts
John Henderson
Daulton Wilson
Brian Shirley
Jake Jackson

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Kevin Ritchie

Brandon Overton en route to a dominant $10,000 victory at Screven.

What won the race: Overcoming a rash of cautions and restarts, second-starting Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., led all 35 laps in commanding fashion to win Friday's $10,000 Winter Freeze XVI opener at Screven Motor Speedway. Overton beat Garrett Smith to the checkers by 2.944 seconds for his eighth career Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series victory and second straight Georgia-Florida Speedweeks triumph after his Jan. 30 Hunt the Front Series win at nearby Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga., also worth $10,000.

Quotable: “It always feels cool to come back and win. Home sweet home, right? Back in Georgia, red dirt. I said it last week, we should be good at this,” Overton said. “I honestly was worried, I know I had the right tire on for the end of the race, but I kept seeing all the guys with the soft tires poking at me on the starts. I was like, ‘Damn, I don’t know if I put the right tire on.'"

Key notes: Overton captured his first SAS victory since June 2, 2024's Georgia Rumble at Cochran (Ga.) Motor Speedway, worth $7,500. ... It's his fifth career Winter Freeze triumph and first since 2024's $12,000 finale at Screven. ... Sixth-starting Garrett Smith moved into second on a lap-26 restart after Ross Bailes tangled with a lapped car and spun, but Smith never truly challenged Overton over the final 10 laps. Bailes, meanwhile, retired after his lap-26 scrape with Chris Woods and was credited with 16th. ... Tenth-starting Ryan Gustin and 15th-starting Trent Ivey slipped by teenager Tucker Anderson in the closing laps to finish fourth and fifth, respectively. ... Anderson, of Blairsville, Ga., ran as high as second before slipping to finish seventh. ... Racing nearly 3,000 miles from home, Preston Luckman improved seven spots to round out the top 10. … The race was slowed by eight cautions, the most significant coming for a multicar melee that eliminated Beckham Malone, Steven Roberts and John Henderson on lap 16 and necessitated a 10-minute red flag for cleanup. … The pole-starting Henderson slowed from fourth with a flat right-rear tire on the 13th lap. … Daulton Wilson spun from ninth on lap six before retiring. … Brian Shirley lost an engine and slowed from third on the fifth lap; he is done competing for the weekend. … The 35-lapper lasted 40 minutes with 13 starters completing the distance. … Cody Overton slapped the turn-three wall during the second heat race and scratched for the night. … Screven’s Winter Freeze XVI concludes with Saturday’s 50-lap, $25,000-to-win finale. … Watch live on FloRacing.

On the move: Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga., started 16th and finished third.

Winner's sponsors: Overton’s Riggs Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is sponsored by Budweiser, Dude Wipes, Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Garnto Southern, Riggs Fiber, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Big Dog Stump & Tree Service, RW Powell Construction, ERG Roofing, Harco Construction, Supply Chain Management, Muscle Factory, VG Performance, Bilstein Shocks, VP Racing Fuels, Boswell Oil and Nightowl Design.

Points chase: It’s the season opener.

Current weather: Clear, 51°F

Car count: 32

Fast qualifier: Brandon Overton

Time: 14.593 seconds

Polesitter: John Henderson

Heat race winners: John Henderson, Brian Shirley, Brandon Overton, Dan Ebert

Consolation race winners: Preston Luckman, Drake Troutman

Provisional starters: Billy Franklin, Kendall Franklin

Next series race: February 7, Screven Motor Speedway (Sylvania, GA) $25,000

Editor's note: Corrects mention of Overton's Winter Freeze win total (five sted two).

From staff reports

SYLVANIA, Ga. — Updates from Friday’s Winter Freeze XVI opener at Screven Motor Speedway, highlighted by a 35-lap, $10,000-to-win feature for Southern All Star Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Overcoming a rash of cautions and restarts, second-starting Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., led all 35 laps in commanding fashion to win Friday's $10,000 Winter Freeze XVI opener at Screven Motor Speedway. Overton beat Garrett Smith to the checkers by 2.944 seconds for his eighth career Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series victory and second straight Georgia-Florida Speedweeks triumph after his Jan. 30 Hunt the Front Series win at nearby Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga., also worth $10,000.

Feature lineup

(35 laps)

Row 1: John Henderson, Brandon Overton
Row 2: Brian Shirley, Dan Ebert
Row 3: Ross Bailes, Garrett Smith
Row 4: Steven Roberts, Daulton Wilson
Row 5: Austin Smith, Ryan Gustin
Row 6: Allen Styck, Tucker Anderson
Row 7: Benji Hicks, Payton Freeman
Row 8: Trent Ivey, Casey Roberts
Row 9: Preston Luckman, Drake Troutman
Row 10: Chris Woods, Jake Jackson
Row 11: Payton Stevenson, Beckham Malone
Row 12: Billy Franklin, Kendall Franklin

Consolation race results

(10 laps; top three transfer)

First consolation: Preston Luckman, Chris Woods, Payton Stevenson, Billy Franklin, Matthew Larson. Scratched: Evan Harrell, Will Hicks, Cody Overton.

Second consolation: Drake Troutman, Jake Jackson, Beckham Malone, Dillon Daves, Kendall Franklin, Michael Leach, Broughton Boatright, Jamie Oliver.

Heat race recap

John Henderson overcame opening lap contact with Preston Luckman and led all eight laps en route to winning the first heat race by 2.791 seconds over fourth-starting Ross Bailes, who moved into the runner-up spot on the third lap. Austin Smith started and finished third while fifth-starting Benji Hicks grabbed the fourth and final transfer spot into Friday’s 35-lap main event. The lone caution came on the opening start attempt when Henderson tangled with Luckman, sending Luckman spinning in turn two; Luckman continued to finish fifth. … Pole-starting Brian Shirley overcame an early restart to lead all eight laps in winning the night’s second heat race by 1.536 seconds over Steven Roberts, who reclaimed the runner-up spot from Allen Styck on the seventh lap, relegating Styck to finish third. Fifth-starting Trent Ivey took fourth as Evan Harrell slowed on the final lap and failed to finish; Harrell needed a push back to the pits after appearing to lose an engine. The first slowdown came on the second lap when sixth-running Cody Overton slapped the turn-three wall and pulled off; he was credited with eighth. … Brandon Overton held off an opening lap challenge from Garrett Smith and cruised to win the third heat by 3.388 seconds over Smith, who trailed Overton all the way. Fourth-starting Ryan Gustin took third from Payton Freeman as they raced towards the white flag, relegating Freeman to fourth. Beckham Malone spun on the opening lap to trigger the race’s lone caution, but continued to finish seventh. … Dan Ebert executed a perfect crossover move on Daulton Wilson's last-lap slide job attempt, beating Wilson back to the line by 0.109 of a second to win the fourth and final heat race. Third-starting Tucker Anderson was right there with the leaders at the finish, taking the checkers just 0.308 of a second behind Wilson. Fifth-starting Casey Roberts completed the fop-four finishers, securing his spot in the night's $10,000-to-win feature. The race’s lone stoppage came on the seventh lap when sixth-running Kendall Franklin pounded the turn-three wall; he limped to finish seventh with heavy right-front suspension damage.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top four transfer)

First heat: John Henderson, Ross Bailes, Austin Smith, Benji Hicks, Preston Luckman, Chris Woods, Payton Stevenson, Matthew Larson.

Second heat: Brian Shirley, Steven Roberts, Allen Styck, Trent Ivey, Billy Franklin, Evan Harrell, Will Hicks, Cody Overton.

Third heat: Brandon Overton, Garrett Smith, Ryan Gustin, Payton Freeman, Drake Troutman, Michael Leach, Beckham Malone, Broughton Boatright.

Fourth heat: Dan Ebert, Daulton Wilson, Tucker Anderson, Casey Roberts, Jake Jackson, Dillon Daves, Kendall Franklin, Jamie Oliver.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. John Henderson (2x), Aiken, S.C., 14.857
2. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 15.102
3. Preson Luckman (77), Coos Bay, Ore., 15.170
4. Steven Roberts (111), Sylvester, Ga., 15.182
5. Austin Smith (11), Cedartown, Ga., 15.255
6. Allen Styck (11s), Americus, Ga., 15.315
7. Ross Bailes (16), Clover, S.C., 15.343
8. Evan Harrell (28), Franklin, N.C., 15.473
9. Benji Hicks (55), Mount Airy, N.C., 15.563
10. Trent Ivey (88), Union, S.C., 15.619
11. Chris Woods (17), Statum, Ga., 15.674
12. Cody Overton (97), Evans, Ga., 15.841
13. Payton Stevenson (24), Locust Grove, Ga., 15.911
14. Billy Franklin (17F), Calera, Ala., 15.981
15. Matthew Larson (8), Lake Elmo, Minn., 16.182
16. Will Hicks (15), Cleveland, Tenn., 16.653
Group B
1. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 14.593
2. Dan Ebert (60), Lake Shore, Minn., 14.624
3. Garrett Smith (10), Madison, Ga., 14.791
4. Daulton Wilson (58v), Fayetteville, N.C., 14.809
5. Payton Freeman (F1), Commerce, Ga., 14.816
6. Tucker Anderson (22), Blairsville, Ga., 14.820
7. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 14.925
8. Jamie Oliver (38), Murphy, N.C., 14.974
9. Michael Leach (09), Sun River, Mont., 15.089
10. Casey Roberts (101), Toccoa, Ga., 15.226
11. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 15.233
12. Kendall Franklin (317), Calera, Ala., 15.284
13. Beckham Malone (23), Rock Hill, S.C., 15.355
14. Jake Jackson (J1), Gilkey, N.C., 15.414
15. Broughton Boatright (9B), Thunderbolt, Ga., 16.249
16. Dillon Daves (35), Franklin, N.C., 16.529

Friday’s schedule

(All times local)
8 a.m. - Gates open
10 a.m. - Drivers’ meeting
11 a.m. - On-track activity
- Open practice (all cars)
- Hornet hot laps
- Sport compact group qualifying
- Open practice (all cars)
- Hornet consolations (10 laps)
- Open practice (all cars)
3:30 p.m. - Track prep
- Super Late Model hot laps
- 602 Crate group qualifying
- Crown Vic group qualifying
- 604 Crate group qualifying
- Street stock group qualifying
- Super Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Sport compact heats (8 laps)
- Super Late Model consolations (10 laps)
- Sport compact consolations (10 laps)
Intermission/track prep
Feature events
- Super Late Models (35 laps)
- Hornets (15 laps)
- 602 Crates (20 laps)
- Crown Vics (15 laps)
- 604 Crates (25 laps)
- Street stocks (15 laps)