Story By: JEREMY PETERS / ROBERTS MOTORSPORTS – DUBUQUE, IA – Garrett Alberson made his maiden voyage to Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Victory Lane over the weekend with a photo-finish triumph in Friday’s Rumble by the River opener at Port Royal Speedway aboard his Roberts Motorsports / Mesilla Valley Transportation / Lucas Oil Products No. 58 Longhorn Chassis Super Late Model.
Alberson drove underneath late pacesetter Devin Moran coming out of turn four on the final lap and won a drag race to the line to claim his fifth win of the season and the $10,000 winner’s payday.
“Oh man, this is everything,” Alberson said. “I mean, winning’s not everything, but we’ve tried so hard. We’ve put so much time and Ken’s (Roberts) put so much money into all of this, and (crew chief) R.C. (Whitwell), (crewman) Thomas (Grinzic), (wife) Dani (Alberson), just everybody that’s put time into this thing. Gosh, this is so cool. And what a cool race with Ricky and Hud and Devin there.”
Garrett Alberson’s week kicked off on Wednesday afternoon with a visit to Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, Pa.) for the fourth round of the Castrol FloRacing Night in America miniseries.
With 49 Late Models on the grounds, Alberson topped his stacked qualifying group before taking the win in his heat race. Starting from the outside pole in the $20,000-to-win main event, Garrett battled inside the Top-3 for much of the main event before slipping to fourth when the checkered flew.
Back with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series on Friday afternoon, Garrett and the Roberts Motorsports team joined a huge 51-car field at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway for the first night of the Rumble by the River.
Laying down the second-quickest lap in qualifying, Alberson earned a second-row starting spot in the $10,000-to-win main event after winning the heat race. In the 40-lap feature, Garrett quietly made his way into the runner-up position and waited until the last lap to make the race-winning move. Alberson slipped by Devin Moran on the final corner and just nipped Moran in a photo finish to secure his first-career victory with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
The following evening, Garrett was an early retiree in the $50,000-to-win finale with a mechanical failure and recorded a 25th-place finish.
Alberson is currently sixth in the LOLMDS point standings.
This weekend, the team returns with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for a doubleheader event in Ohio and West Virginia. Friday’s $15,000-to-win River Days Rumble at Portsmouth Raceway Park is followed by Saturday’s 56th annual Hillbilly Hundred at Tyler County Speedway, which boasts a $30,000 top prize.