Dirt on Dirt - Unstoppable O'Neal bags $10,000 Needmore win

January 28

Needmore Speedway,

Norman Park, GA

Sanction: Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series (South Georgia Showdown) - $10,000

Information provided by: Kyle McFadden, series and track reports (last updated January 29, 9:44 am)

Unstoppable O'Neal bags $10,000 Needmore win

South Georgia Showdown

Hudson O'Neal
Ethan Dotson
Mark Whitener
Kyle Bronson
Drake Troutman
Joseph Joiner
Ryan Gustin
Cody Overton
Dennis Erb Jr.
Carson Brown
Jack Riggs
Michael Leach
Dillard Hatchett
Tyler Erb
Tristan Chamberlain
Brandon Overton
Daulton Wilson
Spencer Hughes
Haiden Cowan
Steven Roberts
Jason Riggs
Jimmy Owens
Luke Morey
Caden Mullinax
Matthew Taylor

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Hudson O'Neal celebrates his first victory of the 2025 season.

What won the race: Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., fired off from outside the front row and dominated Tuesday's 40-lap South Georgia Showdown at Needmore Speedway. Making his season debut in a Rumley Engineering Longhorn, O'Neal led flag-to-flag for a $10,000 Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series triumph, his first victory of the 2025 campaign.

Quotable: “Kevin (Rumley) has been such a big part of my journey ever since I got in these Longhorn cars and I’m so appreciative of all the help he gives us,” O’Neal said. “We gambled on tires a little bit … the way the race track just kinda kept chunking out in that bottom and just throwing more and more mud across and man, our soft tire just kept going and going … I just tried to do my best to get a good restart and it all worked out.”

Key notes: O'Neal notched his first career HTF victory in the non-points tour opener, serving as his 11th career Georgia-Florida Speedweeks triumph. ... It's his first victory of any kind since Sept. 25, 2024, a $20,000 FloRacing score at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway. ... The win marked the third of O'Neal's career in a Kevin Rumley-owned Longhorn and his first since last summer at Ultimate Motorsports Park in Elkin, N.C. ... Fourteenth-starting Ethan Dotson grabbed the runner-up spot when Mark Whitener slipped high as they raced toward the white flag and took the checkers 1.452 seconds behind O'Neal. ... Drake Troutman gained three spots to round out the top five. ... Joseph Joiner ran as high as second in the early going before getting stuck behind Jason Riggs's lapped machine on the 12th circuit and ended up sixth. ... Polesitter Ryan Gustin faded to seventh. ... Cody Overton overcame a spin in his heat race to finish eighth. ... Tyler Erb spun from third on lap 38, drawing the race's third caution and collecting fourth-running Brandon Overton. ... Tristan Chamberlain spun on the ensuing restart to trigger the fourth and final stoppage. ... Steven Roberts slowed on lap 23 to cause the second yellow flag, while Luke Morey slowed with left-rear damage for the opening slowdown on lap two. ... The main event lasted 23 minutes, with 12 starters completing 40 laps. ... Brian Shirley scratched after apparent engine failure caused a massive fire as he led the third heat race; Shirley was OK after being helped from his car while responders fought the blaze with extinguishers. ... Allen Styck also scratched.

On the move: Runner-up Ethan Dotson of Bakersfield, Calif., started 14th.

Winner's sponsors: O’Neal’s K&L Rumley Enterprises Longhorn Chassis carries sponsorship from Lionel Racing, Senior Life Insurance Company, Rumley Engineering, Mesilla Valley Transportation, American Racing Wheels, Professional Concrete, Mark Martin Automotive, O’Neal’s Salvage & Recycling, Indiana USSSA Fastpitch, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bilsetin Shocks and Wheeler Metals.

Points chase: It's a non-points event.

Current weather: Clear, 45°F

Car count: 27

Fast qualifier: Mark Whitener

Time: 14.205 seconds

Polesitter: Ryan Gustin

Heat race winners: Mark Whitener, Ryan Gustin, Hudson O'Neal

Next series race: March 8, I-75 Raceway (Sweetwater, TN) $20,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

NORMAN PARK, Ga. — Updates from Tuesday’s South Georgia Showdown finale highlighted by a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win non-points event for Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series-sanctioned Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., fired off from the outside pole and never looked back en route to a dominating performance in Tuesday's 40-lap South Georgia Showdown at Needmore Speedway. Making his season debut in a Rumley Engineering Longhorn, O'Neal led flag-to-flag for a $10,000 Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series triumph, his first victory of the 2025 campaign.

Feature lineup

(40 laps)

Row 1: Ryan Gustin, Hudson O'Neal
Row 2: Mark Whitener, Kyle Bronson
Row 3: Joseph Joiner, Brandon Overton
Row 4: Jack Riggs, Drake Troutman
Row 5: Dennis Erb Jr., Daulton Wilson
Row 6: Jimmy Owens, Tyler Erb
Row 7: Cody Overton, Ethan Dotson
Row 8: Tristan Chamberlain, Jason Riggs
Row 9: Luke Morey, Carson Brown
Row 10: Haiden Cowan, Caden Mullinax
Row 11: Spencer Hughes, Michael Leach
Row 12: Dillard Hatchett, Steven Roberts
Row 13: Allen Styck, Matthew Taylor
Row 14: Brian Shirley

Heat race recap

Pole-starting Mark Whitener overcame a couple early cautions to lead all eight laps, winning the first heat race by 2.491 seconds over fourth-starting Kyle Bronson. Second-starting Jack Riggs held off Daulton Wilson for third. The first caution flew when Whitener was called for jumping the race’s initial start. Cody Overton spun on the ensuing restart after contact with Riggs while battling for second. Overton continued to place fifth. … Ryan Gustin ran away with the second heat, leading the entire distance and winning by 1.614 seconds over Joseph Joiner. The second-starting Joiner traded the runner-up spot with Drake Troutman multiple times, grabbing second for good on the sixth lap. The race’s lone stoppage came for an opening-lap spin by Dillard Hatchett, who continued to finish eighth, while Matthew Taylor pulled off under the yellow after hitting the wall and losing his rear spoiler. … Third-starting Hudson O’Neal inherited control on the lap-five restart and led the remainder of the third and final heat race, taking the checkers 0.983 of a second ahead of second-starting Brandon Overton. The initial slowdown came on the opening lap after Dennis Erb Jr. spun following contact from Carson Brown, collecting Tristan Chamberlain and Steven Roberts. All drivers continued, with Erb rebounding to third, Chamberlain finishing fifth, Brown in sixth and Roberts in eighth. Brian Shirley was called for jumping the ensuing restart, triggering the second yellow flag before his catastrophic engine failure necessitated a 10-minute red flag on lap five; Shirley’s engine appeared to hang wide open while failing, dumping oil on the hot exhaust and causing a massive fire. He was ok after being quickly helped from the car as safety response fought the blaze with extinguishers.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; all transfer)

First heat: Mark Whitener, Kyle Bronson, Jack Riggs, Daulton Wilson, Cody Overton, Jason Riggs, Haiden Cowan, Michael Leach, Allen Styck.

Second heat: Ryan Gustin, Joseph Joiner, Drake Troutman, Jimmy Owens, Ethan Dotson, Luke Morey, Caden Mullinax, Dillard Hatchett, Matthew Taylor.

Third heat: Hudson O'Neal, Brandon Overton, Dennis Erb Jr., Tyler Erb, Tristan Chamberlain, Carson Brown, Spencer Hughes, Steven Roberts, Brian Shirley.

Time trials

Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla., 14.205
2. Ryan Gustin (19R), Marshalltown, Iowa, 14.242
3. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 14.286
4. Jack Riggs (81J), Nolensville, Tenn., 14.302
5. Joseph Joiner (10), Milton, Fla., 14.378
6. Brandon Overton (76), Evans, Ga., 14.379
7. Cody Overton (2), Evans, Ga., 14.416
8. Drake Troutman (22*), Hyndman, Pa., 14.426
9. Hudson O’Neal (6), Martinsville, Ind., 14.433
10. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 14.467
11. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 14.500
12. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 14.502
13. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 14.553
14. Ethan Dotson (74x), Bakersfield, Calif., 14.565
15. Spencer Hughes (19m), Meridian, Miss., 14.599
16. Allen Styck (11), Americus, Ga., 14.661
17. Luke Morey (49), Zeeland, Mich., 14.690
18. Carson Brown (28B), New London, N.C., 14.711
19. Jason Riggs (81), College Grove, Tenn., 14.725
20. Dillard Hatchett (59), Cornersville, Tenn., 14.741
21. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 14.748
22. Michael Leach (09), Sun River, Mont., 14.797
23. Matthew Taylor (38T), Fort Valley, Ga., 14.820
24. Tristan Chamberlain (20tc), Richmond, Ind., 14.879
25. Haiden Cowan (14), Rincon, Ga., 14.890
26. Caden Mullinax (m2), Birmingham, Ala., 14.919
27. Steven Roberts (111), Sylvester, Ga., 15.145

Tuesday’s schedule

(All times local)
4 p.m. - Pits open
5:30 p.m. - Grandstands open
7 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
7:30 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Modlite hot laps
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
- Modlite group qualifying
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Modlite dash (6 laps)
- Modlite heats (8 laps)
- Modlite consolation (10 laps)
Features
- Late Models (40 laps)
- Modlites (20 laps)
- Modlite non-qualifier (15 laps)