What won the race: After surviving a late shuffle that nearly cost him the lead, Dale McDowell of Rossville, Ga., pulled away on a final restart with two laps remaining in Friday's Southern All Stars feature at Smoky Mountain Speedway and raced to a $3,000 payday on the opening night of the tour's season-ending doubleheader weekend at the east Tennessee oval.

Quotable: “I got a little lucky there and got Ricky in lapped traffic. He had the car to beat and we had the second-place car, but if you reversed us I think we were pretty even." McDowell said. "I had checked up and slowed down when the car spun (coming to the white flag), so I really didn’t know what they were going to do or which way the ruling would go. I got a gift there when I passed (Wiess) in lapped traffic, so if he’d got me back there it is what it is. Good close racing had to be good for the fans. Hopefully we can come back and put on show tomorrow too."

Key notes: The fourth-starting McDowell overtook polesitter Ricky Weiss of Headingley, Manitoba, amid heavy traffic on lap 21 of the 30-lapper. McDowell gave up the lead when he checked up for a spun car in the middle of turns three and four coming to the white flag, but a caution moments later reset the field and handed the point back to McDowell for a final two-lap run to the finish. … McDowell held on to lead the final two laps and took the checkers by 0.207 of a second over Weiss. ... McDowell's 43rd career Southern All Star victory came in the Super Late Model portion of Smoky Mountain's King of the Mountain Championship, which also featured action for the Topless Outlaws Late Models and the American Crate All-Star Series. ... McDowell earned his fourth overall victory of the season and his first since he won in Schaeffer's Iron-Man Series action at Smoky Mountain on Aug. 8. McDowell also won SAS events this season at Cherokee Speedway on March 1 and Thunderhill Raceway Park on May 23. ... Three caution flags slowed Friday's feature. ... The top 13 finishers completed all 30 laps. ... After winning the Topless Outlaw feature, Cory Hedgecock retired before the green flag in the SAS feature.

On the move: After earning the final transfer spot in the second consolation race, Robby Moses of Maryville, Tenn., started 22nd and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: McDowell’s Bloomquist Race Car is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by E-Z-Go, New Era Industrial, Quality Natural Gas, Will Kinzer Foundation, Cometic Gasket and Klotz Lubricants.

Points chase: Entering the weekend, Billy Franklin (740 points) of Calera, Ala., led Mark Dodson (648), Josh Putnam (508), Sam Seawright (474) and Jason Hiett (354).

Current weather: Clear, 50°F

Car count: 34

Fast qualifier: Donald McIntosh

Time: 16.264 seconds

Polesitter: Ricky Weiss

Consolation race winners: Sam Seawright, Jordan Rodabaugh

Provisional starters: Mark Dodson, Austin Smith

Next series race: October 17, Smoky Mountain Speedway (Maryville, TN) $7,000