Story By: BEN SHELTON / ROCKET1 RACING – SHINNSTON, WV – Hudson O’Neal has passed more than a dozen competitors on Saturday night before bad luck bit in the form of a mechanical failure on lap 66 of the 31st annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway.
He was credited with a 20th-place finish in the final rundown aboard his Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
“Our finish was definitely not indicative of our car on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway. We made gains all weekend, and this car was on dig in the 100 lapper on Saturday night but a mechanical failure got us. It’s unfortunate but sometimes it just happens. We have a big week in front of us, and this team is just awesome. I’m ready to go after more big checks,” O’Neal noted.
Rocket1 Racing and Hudson O’Neal kicked off their Memorial Day weekend on Thursday afternoon at Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, Mo.) as the 31st annual Show-Me 100 opened with the Cowboy Classic.
With 59 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) competitors entered for the three-day event, O’Neal raced his way into the preliminary feature with a second-place finish in his consolation race after missing a transfer spot in his heat race. With $6,000 on the line, Hudson gained two spots in the 45-lapper to finish 21st.
For Friday’s Don & Billie Gibson Tribute, Hudson followed up a B-Main victory with a 16th-place finish in the 40-lap prelim.
Rolling off on the front row of his consolation event on Saturday, O’Neal locked his spot into the $50,000-to-win Show-Me 100 with a 15-lap victory. Starting 20th on the feature grid, Hudson was an early retiree from the 100-lapper on lap 67 as mechanical issues brought his outing to a disappointing early end. He was scored 20th in the final rundown.
This week has three nights of racing scheduled for Rocket1 Racing. Action opens on Wednesday at Florence Speedway (Union, Ky.) with the seventh round of the Castrol FloRacing Night in America campaign. Hudson currently leads the way in the latest miniseries standings heading into the $23,023-to-win event.
After being idle on Thursday the team thunders into Cody Watson’s West Virginia Motor Speedway (Mineral Wells, W.Va.) on Friday and Saturday for the Legendary 100. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) weekend is slated by a $10,000-to-win program on Friday and a $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday.