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March 5
Smoky Mountain Speedway,
Maryville, TN
Sanction: Valvoline Iron-Man Southern Series (Tennessee Tip-Off Classic) - $12,000
Information provided by: Series and track reports (last updated March 6, 10:36 am)
Overton tops Tennessee Tip-Off, earns $12,000
Tennessee Tip-Off Classic
- Brandon Overton
- Mike Marlar
- Tim McCreadie
- Jonathan Davenport
- Kyle Strickler
- Dale McDowell
- Hudson O'Neal
- Chris Ferguson
- Camaron Marlar
- Wil Herrington
- Tyler Erb
- Eli Beets
- Michael Chilton
- Anthony Sanders
- Jimmy Owens
- Garrett Alberson
- Corey Gordon
- Christian Hanger
- Ricky Weiss
- Stacy Boles
- Clay Coghlan
- Matt Henderson
- Skip Arp
- Brian Ledbetter
- Steve Smith
- Zack Mitchell
Brandon Overton celebrates in victory lane Saturday at Smoky Mountain.
What won the race: Taking the lead on lap 12, second-starting Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., paced the final 48 laps en route to winning Saturday's eighth annual Tennessee Tip-Off Classic at Smoky Mountain Speedway, collecting $12,000. The victory is the 11th of Overton's career with the Ultimate Southeast Series, placing him third on the tour's all-time win list and the first of his career with the Valvoline Iron-Man Southern Series.
Quotable: “(The car has) been pretty good since we got back home from Florida,” said Overton. “We worked on a few things and it’s definitely headed int the right direction. I love coming over here. I made a lot of laps around here when I drove for (Randy) Weaver. It feels good to come back and get a win.”
Key notes: Capturing second place on the lap 52 restart, former event winner Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., crossed the finish line 2.277 seconds behind Overton. ... Closing within one second of Overton in the early laps, Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., faded and finished third. ... Seventh-starting Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., finished fourth. ... After leading the first 11 laps from the pole, Camaron Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., finished ninth, the final car on the lead lap. ... Following a caution on the initial start attempt, 51 consecutive green flag laps were completed before the second and final caution flag was displayed. ... Saturday's feature, co-sanctioned between the Valvoline Iron-Man Southern Series and the Ultimate Southeast Series, lasted 23 minutes, with nine competitors completing all 60 laps.
On the move: Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., started 16th and finished seventh.
Winner's sponsors: Overton’s Wells Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Race Engine and sponsored by CrossFit Overton, Allstar Concrete, E-Z-Go, Big Dog Stump & Tree, R.W. Powell Construction, Convenient Lube, Allstar Performance and Topnotch Kustom Koncepts.
Points chase: It’s the opening race for each tour.
Current weather: Broken Clouds, 66°F
Car count: 37
Fast qualifier: Brandon Overton
Time: 16.418 seconds
Polesitter: Camaron Marlar
Heat race winners: Camaron Marlar, Michael Chilton, Brandon Overton, Mike Marlar
Consolation race winners: Zack Mitchell, Tyler Erb
Provisional starters: Stacy Boles, Skip Arp, Steve Smith, Anthony Sanders, Brian Ledbetter, Corey Gordon
Next series race: March 25, Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, TN) $50,000
Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.