GIBSONTON, Fla. (Feb. 10) — At last. After two formative seasons with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series defined by growing pains and nine runner-up finishes, Daulton Wilson emerged Saturday at East Bay Raceway Park as the breakthrough touring winner he’s always sought to be.

The last-ever Wieland Winternationals at the third-mile oval in its final season of operations had already been bound for a sentimental, tear-jerking outcome. Then the Fayetteville, N.C., driver amplified the emotional night by giving Dirt Late Model onlookers one heckuva memory to forever hold onto as legendary East Bay ends its storied run as the synonymous kingpin of Georgia-Florida Speedweeks. 

For a driver who’s had practically lifetime to prepare a Lucas Oil Series victory lane speech, Wilson was, when it came down to it, pretty speechless when his lifelong mission finally became a reality.

“Man, I don’t know what to say,” an emotional Wilson said, his voice cracking in victory lane. “It’s a dream come true. My whole family is right there. They sacrificed everything for me. They believe in me 100 percent. My guys, my car owner, (manager Jeff) Gullett … everybody believed in me for this opportunity, and everybody along the way that gave me a chance for helping me. I can’t thank any of them enough.”

Wilson’s tone of voice then softened as he tried concluding his initial thoughts to realizing a dream.

“We finally got it done,” he said.

Indeed, Wilson sealed the deal on Saturday, and he did so rather decisively. Two moments stick out above the rest when unpacking Wilson’s drive to victory. The first came via Wilson’s swift dispatching of Tyler Erb for the lead on lap 16, an exchange that Wilson completed in one sliding move through turns one and two.

The second came with five laps to go as Wilson and Erb worked lapped traffic, namely the lapped car of Boom Briggs. Separated by two car lengths entering turn three at the time, Wilson heaved his Jason Ratliff-owned No. 18D underneath and around Briggs. Erb attempted to pass Briggs in one, clean maneuver like Wilson, but upon the exit of turn four clipped Briggs with his right-rear quarter panel.

Two laps later the caution came out for Briggs as Erb continued to put Wilson under serious duress.

“I thought I gave it away before the caution ever came out,” Wilson said. “You know, my car is really good. We’ve been working on it this week.”

Fortunately for Wilson, the caution couldn’t have intervened at more of an opportune time. From there, he turned in three more clean laps on the ensuing restart while Erb slipped from second to third and into the clutches of Brandon Sheppard.

"As I’ve said, we’ve been digging on this thing all week,” Wilson said. “We got off there during the middle of week but we hunkered back down. And the racetrack kind of threw us for a curveball, and we didn’t know what we were going to get for the feature, but it can about drive itself right now. I’m just the lucky guy that gets to hold the steering wheel.”

As for Erb, the polesitter, he led the opening 15 laps and paced the main event for the fourth time in six races this year. The self-professed East Bay lover looked to be on his way to a seventh-career East Bay win in his career on Saturday until Wilson’s convincing ways turned the tide.

Erb couldn’t be upset by the result. He and Wilson have grown to be good buddies these last two years.

“He deserves it. He’s been really, really fast,” Erb said. “It’s taken him like three years. I can feel like that pain. I know what it’s like to win. Yeah, this is a helluva place to win your first race, too. Congrats to him and his whole family and team. I’ve gotten really close to Daulton in the last three years. If anybody could win, I’d definitely like to see him.”

Still falling short after establishing the early tone does sting a little bit for Erb, who wonders if he was a little too lenient through the first batch of slower cars during the second-longest green flag run of the night (laps five through 18 whereas the longest run came laps 28 through 45).

“It does suck. I had the lead and was maybe being too patient,” Erb said. “I don’t know. I ran him down there in lapped traffic. Just made the wrong decision and couldn’t capitalize on it. Gave her all I had the last three laps there and about flipped out of the ballpark. But yeah, all in all a great week for us. … Just looking forward to the rest of the year racing. I can’t thank everybody enough who helps us.”

Judging Saturday’s overwhelming and bustling crowd at large, there didn’t seem to be a person in attendance who had a hard time supporting Wilson’s special breakthrough moment. Instead of streams of people lining for the exit gates upon feature finish, majority of the crowd stayed put to witness Wilson’s victory lane scene.

Even outside general admission seating, competitors flocked to the scales in the back pits to affirm and congratulate Wilson in his latest, biggest accomplishment. And it was all equally special.

“Man, look at all these people,” Wilson said. “You go across the scales down there, like every race team is giving me high-fives. This is awesome. As I said, I can’t thank everybody enough. … This is a dream come true. I remember coming here watching racing. I said, ‘Man, it’d be awesome to just get to race. As I said, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity and great people around me. To be standing up here in such a short period of time really is just awesome.”

Notes: Jensen Ford slowed out of the third on lap 21 and received medical attention shortly after as part of a 10-minute red-flag, the aftereffects of hopping the ruts so turbulently in turns one and two that he banged his head against his head rest and left him dazed. Medical staff checked him for a concussion, but never diagnosed with him one. … Saturday marked the first time six different winners emerged during through Winternationals since 2011. … Hudson O’Neal had worked his way from 25th to 14th before pulling into the hot-pit area during the lap-21 stoppage. … Five cautions slowed the feature: On lap five for fourth-running Garrett Alberson who caught the short end of the stick in the battle for second between Briggs and Ford; on lap 18 for 16th-running Mike Spatola; lap 21 for Ford; lap 28 for an overheating Dillon McCowan; and then the slowing Briggs on lap 45.

Feature lineup

(50 laps)
Row 1: Tyler Erb, Boom Briggs
Row 2: Garrett Alberson, Jensen Ford
Row 3: Jimmy Owens, Daulton Wilson
Row 4: Mike Spatola, Garrett Smith
Row 5: Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr.
Row 6: Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran
Row 7: Ethan Dotson, Dillon McCowan
Row 8: Brenden Smith, Ashton Winger
Row 9: Kyle Bronson, Tanner English
Row 10: Blair Nothdurft, Ricky Thornton Jr.
Row 11: Mark Whitener, Earl Pearson Jr.
Row 12: Max Blair, Tony Jackson Jr.
Row 13: Hudson O'Neal, Tim McCreadie
Row 14: Spencer Hughes, Ross Robinson
Row 15: Mike Marlar, Drake Troutman

Consolation results

(10 laps; top two transfer)

First consolation finish: Blair Nothdurft, Earl Pearson Jr., Jeff Mathews, Rod Conley, Seth Daniels, Brandon Weigle, David McCoy, Brian Ledbetter, Daniel Adam, Adam Boyd, Danny Snyder, Hudson O'Neal, Tim McCreadie. Scratched: Ross Bailes, R.J. Conley, Jason Riggs

Second consolation finish: Ricky Thornton Jr., Max Blair, Mike Marlar, Chase Junghans, Tim Dohm, Tyler Millwood, Cory Lawler, Haiden Cowan, Brandon Carpenter, Drake Troutman. Scratched: Jack Riggs, Ryan Payne, Parker Martin, Logan Hitt, Brian Shirley, Clay Harris

Third consolation finish: Mark Whitener, Tony Jackson Jr., Spencer Hughes, Bob Gardner, Jason Jack, Logan Zarin, Brennon Willard, Brandon Thirlby, Trevor Collins, Michael Lake, Todd Brennan, Ross Robinson, Larry Grube. Scratched: Wil Herrington, Levi Yetter

Heat race recap

Tyler Erb led all eight laps to win the first heat race by 1.196 seconds over fifth-starting Mike Spatola. Ethan Dotson trailed Erb for much of the race before giving way to Spatola and settling for the third and final transfer spot into Saturday’s 50-lap, $15,000-to-win Winternationals finale. … The second heat race was marred by a six-car incident at the initial start when Garrett Alberson and Hudson O’Neal made contact at the drop of the green, sending O’Neal spinning in front of the field and collecting Brandon Sheppard, Jason Riggs, Tim McCreadie, Adam Boyd and Brian Ledbetter. Alberson ended up leading all eight laps to claim the victory by 2.528 seconds over the third-starting Sheppard, who finished second with a heavily damaged machine. Tenth-starting Brenden Smith finished third, grabbing the final transfer position. O’Neal, Riggs and Boyd were unable to continue. Jeff Mathews drew the final two cautions by jumping the ensuing restart before a lap-two solo-spin from sixth; he continued and finished fifth. … Jimmy Owens led green-to-checkered to win heat three by 1.065 seconds over Friday’s winner, Jonathan Davenport. Sixth-starting Kyle Bronson used a last-lap, turn-four pass to grab third from Ricky Thornton Jr., who settled for fourth. Clay Harris broke a jackshaft on the fourth lap before Logan Hitt spun on lap seven, both were unable to continue. … Boom Briggs survived a late-race restart to lead all eight laps and win heat four by 0.823 of a second over Garrett Smith. Eighth-starting Dillon McCowan climbed to finish third and punch his ticket into Saturday’s Winternationals finale. The lone caution flew on the last lap when Mike Marlar spun from third, leaving Parker Martin and Brian Shirley nowhere to go, with both making heavy contact and calling it a night; Marlar continued and finished fifth. … Jensen Ford cruised to win heat five by 1.417 seconds over sixth-starting Dennis Erb Jr. Fourth-starting Ashton Winger clawed to finish third. The first caution came out on the fourth lap when Todd Brennan spun from fifth in the turn-three cushion, sending Bob Gardner spinning to avoid; both drivers opted not to continue. The second stoppage occurred on lap five when Ross Robinson and Brandon Thirlby made contact battling for third, cutting Robinson’s right-rear and sending him to the hot pit; Thirlby faded to finish fourth, with Robinson taking seventh after changing the tire. … Daulton Wilson led all the way to win the sixth and final heat race by 0.327 of a second over third-starting Devin Moran. Tanner English narrowly repelled Tony Jackson Jr. in the closing laps to finish third, with Jackson taking fourth. The first caution flew on the sixth lap when Wil Herrington and Spencer Hughes made contact, sending Hughes spinning and Jason Jack spinning to avoid; Herrington pulled off, while Hughes continued and finished seventh. The second yellow came out on the ensuing restart when Jack spun again at the entrance to turn one; he pulled off and was credited with ninth.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top three transfer)

First heat finish: Tyler Erb, Mike Spatola, Ethan Dotson, Blair Nothdurft, David McCoy, Earl Pearson Jr., Seth Daniels, Ross Bailes, Brandon Weigle, Danny Snyder, Daniel Adam.

Second heat finish: Garrett Alberson, Brandon Sheppard, Brenden Smith, Tim McCreadie, Jeff Mathews, Rod Conley, Brian Ledbetter, R.J. Conley, Hudson O'Neal, Jason Riggs, Adam Boyd.

Third heat finish: Jimmy Owens, Jonathan Davenport, Kyle Bronson, Ricky Thornton Jr., Chase Junghans, Tim Dohm, Tyler Millwood, Jack Riggs, Cory Lawler, Logan Hitt, Clay Harris.

Fourth heat finish: Boom Briggs, Garrett Smith, Dillon McCowan, Max Blair, Mike Marlar, Haiden Cowan, Brandon Carpenter, Ryan Payne, Parker Martin, Brian Shirley. Scratched: Drake Troutman

Fifth heat finish: Jensen Ford, Dennis Erb Jr., Ashton Winger, Brandon Thirlby, Logan Zarin, Michael Lake, Ross Robinson, Larry Grube, Todd Brennan, Bob Gardner. Scratched: Levi Yetter

Sixth heat finish: Daulton Wilson, Devin Moran, Tanner English, Tony Jackson Jr., Mark Whitener, Trevor Collins, Spencer Hughes, Brennon Willard, Jason Jack, Wil Herrington.

Pre-race notes

The final day of the last Wieland Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park brings the most beautiful weather of the week: a high temperature reaching 80 degrees and brilliantly sunny skies. … A capacity crowd jammed East Bay on Friday and even more fans — if that’s possible — are expected for the historic final Winternationals event before the third-mile track closes at the end of the 2024 season. … Week-long attrition has the car count down to 65. … Among the drivers skipping the finale are Ryan Gustin of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Brandon Overton of Evans, Ga., who won’t drive a Jeff Mathews-owned car for the third straight night. … Matt Cosner of Ridgeley, W.Va., is a spectator for the second consecutive night as he nurses sore ribs he injured when he car bounced in a rut early in Thursday’s held-over feature from Monday. The jolt caused his right side to catch his seat in a freak manner, knocked the wind out of him and forced him to pull out of the race; he sought medical attention locally and was diagnosed with bruised ribs. He’s hoping the pain subsides enough for him to race at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., beginning on Wednesday night. … After a Winternationals career-best fifth-place finish in Thursday’s second feature, Ross Robinson of Georgetown, Del., continued the momentum with a Friday heat win but was sidelined on lap 16 of the feature by a broken driveshaft. He said his team plans to head to Volusia for the DIRTcar Nationals, where his wife and crew chief, Amanda, will race the first three night and perhaps the rest of the week if she’s enjoying some success. … Mark Whitener of Middleburg, Fla., who made his first start of the week on Thursday after installing a Pro Power engine he bought in the pit area from builder Bill Schlieper, broke a jackshaft in his Longhorn car running second on lap seven of Friday’s feature. … Garrett Smith of Eatonton, Ga., also went out on lap seven of Friday’s A-main when a fire flared up under his car’s hood as he ran third. The 20-year-old brought his car to a stop in turn two where the safety crew extinguished the flames, which were caused by a broken fuel line that caught his air filter’s outwear on fire. While the flames didn’t heat up Smith’s cockpit, he said it took him “three tries to get my lap belt undone” as he scrambled to unbuckled during the first significant fire of his racing career. … Devin Moran of Dresden, Ohio, is back in his primary car for the finale after it was sideline by terminal engine woes in Friday’s heat action. His crew swapped motors and oil systems to return the Longhorn machine to the track. … Brandon Thirlby of Traverse City, Mich., is ready for Saturday’s program after his Friday ended following his heat because his car’s battery box was hanging by a thread due to its tray breaking loose from the frame. … With five different winners in as many features this week, a sixth in Saturday’s $15,000-to-win feature will mark just the third year with no repeat winner in six nights nights of racing since the Winternationals schedule was expanded in 2000. Six different winners previously occurred in 2007 and ’11.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Tyler Erb (1T), New Waverly, Texas, 14.357
2. Hudson O’Neal (1), Martinsville, Ind., 14.375
3. Jimmy Owens (20), Newport, Tenn., 14.391
4. Blair Nothdurft (76n), Renner, S.D., 14.432
5. Garrett Alberson (58), Las Cruces, N.M., 14.566
6. Jonathan Davenport (49), Blairsville, Ga., 14.582
7. Ethan Dotson (174), Bakersfield, Calif., 14.592
8. Brandon Sheppard (B5), New Berlin, Ill., 14.601
9. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20rt), Chandler, Ariz., 14.618
10. Daniel Adam (75), Wade, N.C., 14.618
11. Jeff Mathews (33), Brandon, Fla., 14.663
12. Jack Riggs (81J), Nolensville, Tenn., 14.681
13. Mike Spatola (89), Manhattan, Ill., 14.689
14. Jason Riggs (81), College Grove, Tenn., 14.707
15. Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 14.721
16. Earl Pearson Jr. (46), Jacksonville, Fla., 14.722
17. R.J. Conley (71c), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 14.763
18. Kyle Bronson (40B), Brandon, Fla., 14.788
19. David McCoy (187), Franklin, N.C., 14.819
20. Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 14.822
21. Tyler MIllwood (31), Kingston, Ga., 14.879
22. Seth Daniels (s21), Jackson, Ohio, 14.905
23. Rod Conley (71R), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 15.089
24. Tim Dohm (6T), Cross Lanes, W.Va., 15.092
25. Ross Bailes (6H), Clover, S.C., 15.131
26. Adam Boyd (6B), Riverview, Fla., 15.177
27. Cory Lawler (93), Hanover, Pa.. 15.226
28. Brandon Weigle (47w), Middlebourne, W.Va., 15.232
29. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 15.241
30. Logan Hitt (2*), Buckhannon, W.Va., 15.257
31. Danny Snyder (4s), Green Lane, Pa., 15.480
32. Brian Ledbetter (07), Stanley, N.C., 15.499
33. Clay Harris (6), Jupiter, Fla., no time
Group B
1. Boom Briggs (99B), Bear Lake, Pa., 14.410
2. Jensen Ford (15k), Johnson City, Tenn., 14.522
3. Daulton Wilson (18D), Fayetteville, N.C., 14.542
4. Garrett Smith (10), Eatonton, Ga., 14.586
5. Todd Brennan (20B), Zanesville, Ohio, 14.604
6. Tanner English (96v), Benton, Ky., 14.624
7. Drake Troutman (7T), Hyndman, Pa., 14.634
8. Ross Robinson (7), Georgetown, Del., 14.701
9. Devin Moran (99), Dresden, Ohio, 14.702
10. Parker Martin (6jr), Miledgeville, Ga., 14.711
11. Ashton Winger (12), Hampton, Ga., 14.720
12. Spencer Hughes (19m), Meridian, Miss., 14.761
13. Mike Marlar (157), Winfield, Tenn., 14.781
14. Brandon Thirlby (69), Traverse City, Mich., 14.788
15. Jason Jack (32), Tampa, Fla., 14.804
16. Brian Shirley (3s), Chatham, Ill., 14.844
17. Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 14.855
18. Trevor Collins (11c), Seaford, Del, 14.873
19. Haiden Cowan (214), Rincon, Ga., 14.885
20. Bob Gardner (4G), East Peoria, Ill., 14.941
21. Tony Jackson Jr. (25), Lebanon, Mo., 14.971
22. Dillon McCowan (8), Urbana, Mo., 15,015
23. Logan Zarin (1z), Moon Township, Pa., 15.053
24. Wil Herrington (14x), Hawkinsville, Ga., 15.054
25. Ryan Payne (12R), Pennsboro, W.Va., 15.063
26. Larry Grube (29), Mauldin, S.C., 15.081
27. Brennon Willard (3), Lebanon, Mo., 15.148
28. Max Blair (111), Centerville, Pa., 15.190
29. Michael Lake (27), Uniontown, Pa., 15.309
30. Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla., 15.318
31. Brandon Carpenter (51), Coldwater, Miss., 15.351
32. Levi Yetter (9), Cabot, Pa., 15.558

Saturday’s schedule

(All times local)
1:30 p.m. - Pits cleared
2 p.m. - Pits open
2-4:45 p.m. - Tech and registration
5 p.m. - Grandstands open
5:30 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Late Model qualifying (2 laps)
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Late Model consolations (10 laps)
Feature events
- Late Models (50 laps)