Dirt on Dirt - O'Neal cruises to win Port Royal's first semifeature

August 25

Port Royal Speedway,

Port Royal, PA

Sanction: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (First Rumble by the River semifeature) - $5,000

Information provided by: Kevin Kovac, Kyle McFadden, series and track reports (last updated August 26, 8:37 am)

O'Neal cruises to win Port Royal's first semifeature

First Rumble by the River semifeature

Hudson O'Neal
Rick Eckert
Ricky Thornton Jr.
Cody Overton
Tim McCreadie
Daulton Wilson
Ross Robinson
Earl Pearson Jr.
Mason Zeigler
Justin Kann
Matt Cosner
Mike Lupfer
Dillan Stake
Austin Berry
Gary Stuhler
Shaun Jones
Jeff Rine
Gregg Satterlee
Cory Lawler
Nathan Long
Dave Stamm
Dan Stone
Spencer Hughes
Trevor Collins
Dylan Yoder
Justin Weaver

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Hudson O’Neal cruised to victory Friday at Port Royal Speedway.

What won the race: Leading all 25 laps largely unchallenged, pole-starting Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., cruised to win Friday's first $5,000 Rumble by the River semifeature at Port Royal Speedway. O'Neal carved through lapped traffic in the closing laps and won the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series preliminary event by 4.182 seconds over fifth-starting Rick Eckert.

Quotable: “(Lapped traffic) was (unnerving), I felt like I was making a lot of time difference (at corner entrance), going to that top,” O’Neal said. “There was one time down (in turn one) a lapped car just kinda slowed way up in front of me and I just misjudged how much faster I was getting off into the corner. I was happy to see no caution there, if we had a caution, maybe it would’ve played out a little bit different.”

Key notes: Port Royal track points leader Eckert, of York, Pa., narrowly fended off eighth-starting Ricky Thornton Jr. in the closing laps; Thornton steadily climbed from sixth to third between laps 16-22. ... Driving a Bruce Kane Racing-owned Rocket Chassis, Cody Overton started third and finished fourth. ... Tim McCreadie ran as high as fourth in the early laps before settling for fifth. ... A two-time feature winner at Port Royal this season, Gregg Satterlee uncharacteristically slid to finish 18th, one lap down. ... Sixth-running Dan Stone and 10th-running Spencer Hughes both called it a night on lap 16. ... Thursday's first 25-lap semifeature was completed without incident and lasted eight minutes, with 12 competitors completing the entire distance and 21 running at the finish.

On the move: Ross Robinson of Georgetown, Del., started 17th and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: O’Neal’s Rocket Chassis has a Durham Racing Engine and sponsorship from Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Rocket Chassis, Ace Metal Works, Gunter’s Honey, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Keyser Manufacturing Co., Petroff Towing, WR1 Sim Chassis, O’Neal’s Salvage & Recycling, Performance Grading, Slavic Shirts & Decals, Sunoco Race Fuels and Rocket Preowned Motors.

Points chase: Before Port Royal: 1. Ricky Thornton Jr. (6,240); 2. Hudson O’Neal (5,825); 3. Jonathan Davenport (5,545); 4. Brandon Overton (5,470); 5. Tim McCreadie (5,430); 6. Devin Moran (5,375); 7. Daulton Wilson (4,920); 8. Tyler Erb (4,915); 9. Max Blair (4,895); 10. Earl Pearson Jr. (4,855).

Current weather: Few Clouds, 77°F

Car count: 52

Fast qualifier: Hudson O'Neal

Time: 18.110 seconds

Polesitter: Hudson O'Neal

Heat race winners: Hudson O'Neal, Dan Stone, Cody Overton

Next series race: August 26, Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, PA) $50,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Aug. 25) — Updates and results from Friday’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series action at Port Royal Speedway’s Rumble by the River, highlighted by a pair of $5,000-to-win, split-field semifeatures (results unofficial):

Feature

Leading all 25 laps largely unchallenged, pole-starting Hudson O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., cruised to win Friday's first $5,000 Rumble by the River semifeature at Port Royal Speedway. O'Neal carved through lapped traffic in the closing laps and won the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series preliminary event by 4.182 seconds over fifth-starting Rick Eckert. Port Royal track points leader Eckert, of York, Pa., narrowly fended off eighth-starting Ricky Thornton Jr. in the closing laps; Thornton steadily climbed from sixth to third between laps 16-22.

Feature lineup

(25 laps)
Row 1: Hudson O'Neal, Dan Stone
Row 2: Cody Overton, Tim McCreadie
Row 3: Rick Eckert, Mason Zeigler
Row 4: Daulton Wilson, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 5: Earl Pearson Jr., Justin Kann
Row 6: Spencer Hughes, Gregg Satterlee
Row 7: Mike Lupfer, Jeff Rine
Row 8: Matt Cosner, Gary Stuhler
Row 9: Ross Robinson, Justin Weaver
Row 10: Dillan Stake, Shaun Jones
Row 11: Trevor Collins, Austin Berry
Row 12: Dave Stamm, Cory Lawler
Row 13: Nathan Long, Dylan Yoder

Heat race recap

Pole-starting Hudson O’Neal cruised to lead all eight circuits, winning the first heat race by 3.249 seconds over fifth-starting Tim McCreadie, who narrowly repelled Daulton Wilson in the closing laps. … Second-starting Dan Stone used an opening-lap pass on Ricky Thornton Jr. and led the entire distance to win heat two. Rick Eckert passed Thornton in the closing laps, finishing 0.907 of a second back, with pole-starting Thornton settling for third. … Cody Overton dominated the third and final heat race, winning by 1.626 seconds over Mason Zeigler.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; all transfer)

First heat: Hudson O'Neal, Tim McCreadie, Daulton Wilson, Justin Kann, Mike Lupfer, Gary Stuhler, Dillan Stake, Austin Berry, Nathan Long.

Second heat: Dan Stone, Rick Eckert, Ricky Thornton Jr., Spencer Hughes, Jeff Rine, Ross Robinson, Shaun Jones, Dave Stamm. Scratched: Dylan Yoder

Third heat: Cody Overton, Mason Zeigler, Earl Pearson Jr., Gregg Satterlee, Matt Cosner, Justin Weaver, Trevor Collins, Cory Lawler.

Group A time trials

1. Hudson O’Neal (1), Martinsville, Ind., 18.110
2. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20RT), Chandler, Ariz., 18.165
3. Cody Overton (15K), Evans, Ga., 18.181
4. Justin Kann (66), Huntingdon, Pa., 18.197
5. Dan Stone (2), Thompson, Pa., 18.351
6. Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., 18.399
7. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 18.412
8. Rick Eckert (0E), York, Pa., 18.437
9. Mason Zeigler (25z), Chalk Hill, Pa., 18.490
10. Mike Lupfer (06), Shermans Dale, Pa., 18.583
11. Spencer Hughes (11H), Meridian, Miss., 18.635
12. Gregg Satterlee (22), Indiana, Pa., 18.636
13. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 18.679
14. Jeff Rine (2J), Danville, Pa., 18.718
15. Matt Cosner (66C), Ridgeley, W.Va., 18.747
16. Dillan Stake (D19), Three Springs, Pa., 18.763
17. Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., 18.789
18. Justin Weaver (2J), Williamsport, Md., 18.792
19. Gary Stuhler (4), Greencastle, Pa., 18.970
20. Dylan Yoder (24), Selinsgrove, Pa., 19.023
21. Cory Lawler (93), Hanover, Pa., 19.032
22. Austin Berry (86B), Mifflin, Pa., 19.056
23. Shaun Jones (32J), Shermans Dale, Pa., 19.165
24. Trevor Collins (11T), Seaford, Del., 19.226
25. Nathan Long (63), Selinsgrove, Pa., 19.653
26. Dave Stamm (10s), Mifflinburg, Pa., 20.333

Friday’s schedule

(All times local)

2 p.m. - Registration and tech inspection
2:30 p.m. - Pit gates close
3 p.m. - Pit gates reopen; grandstands open
5:30 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Mid-Atlantic modified hot laps
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Mid-Atlantic modified heat races (8 laps)
- Late Model heat races (8 laps)
- Mid-Atlantic modified consolation (10 laps; if necessary)
- Mid-Atlantic modified feature (20 laps)
- Late Model first semifeature (25 laps)
- Late Model second semifeature (25 laps)