Story By: BEN SHELTON / ROCKET1 RACING – SHINNSTON, WV – Hudson O’Neal entered a single event last week and made the most of the opportunity with a $23,023 victory aboard his No. 1 Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
O’Neal’s 15th triumph of the season came in Castrol FloRacing Night in America action on Thursday evening at North Carolina’s Tri-County Racetrack during the 18th annual FK Rod Ends Tar Heel 53. He had to overcame mechanical issues to snare the victory.
“We had a terrible miss (in the engine),” O’Neal said. “It started about halfway. I don’t know that it really hurt me, but it was making me nervous. I thought that eventually it was just gonna get worse and worse and worse and we were gonna be out of it. The longer the race went and the slicker (the surface) got up there (near the outside wall), I just kept hanging and hanging and hanging. Then I just started diamonding (the first and second corners). I started doing it a little bit down in (turn) four too and it really helped my exit and got me a lot more speed down the straightaway.
“When something like that happens your heart just sinks, because I’m leading this race and I feel like I’ve got a car good enough to win and then something like that happens. I’m like, ‘No, man, not right now.’ It can’t happen whenever you’re running 10th. Thankfully it held up. Now we are excited to head to Eldora (Speedway) this week and go after both a Lucas Oil (Late Model Dirt Series) and Dirt Track World Championship title.”
Rocket1 Racing and Hudson O’Neal returned to the road with the Castrol FloRacing Night in America miniseries on Thursday as the FK Rod Ends Tar Heel 53 drew 34 competitors to Tri-County Racetrack (Brasstown, N.C.).
O’Neal backed up the fastest lap in time trials with a win in his heat race and a flag-to-flag victory in the 53-lap feature. Despite an early mechanical scare that faded as the race went on, Hudson led wire-to-wire to secure his 15th win of the season and the $23,023 top prize. He finished 1.273 seconds ahead of pole-starting Bobby Pierce with Ricky Thornton Jr., Jonathan Davenport, and Dennis Erb Jr. rounding out the Top-5.
With the victory, O’Neal has closed within nine points of Castrol Flo Racing Night in America point leader Bobby Pierce.
Hudson and Rocket1 Racing now are focused on a huge weekend, which will see them competing for their first-ever Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series title at Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, Ohio) during this weekend’s 43rd annual Dirt Track World Championship.
As one of the four Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP finalists, O’Neal can claim the record-setting $200,000 title by being the highest finisher of the eligible quartet of drivers in Saturday’s 100-lap finale.
Additionally, a $100,000 top prize is on the line for the victor of the event.