6/17/2023
Runner-up finish in Mountain Moonshine Classic at Smoky Mountain
Hudson O’Neal notched a runner-up finish in Saturday night’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) Mountain Moonshine Classic at Smoky Mountain Speedway with his Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
The Indiana racer motored forward from the seventh-starting position to achieve his second-place finishing position.
“It really was a good night. You know we just got behind yesterday qualifying and we had to start farther back in one of those preliminary features. We were just able to salvage our way up through every race. We were able to get a little better and a little better. We had a really good race car,” O’Neal shared. “I just used my stuff up so hard around that top trying to get to second and by the time I got to second Ricky was driving off and I was running out of steam. So, we are happy to finish second from where we started in seventh. I think this track turned out to be way better than anyone thought it was going to be. We raced all over it for 40 or 50 laps. They can’t hang their head about that. They did a good job.”
Rocket1 Racing and Hudson O’Neal were one of 44 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) teams converged at the newly redesigned Smoky Mountain Speedway (Maryville, Tenn.) on Friday afternoon for the opening round of the two-day Mountain Moonshine Classic.
After officials made the decision to axe heat races and set the grid for both preliminary features based on time trials, O’Neal laid down the 10th-fastest lap in his 22-car group. Chasing a $5,000 payday in his prelim, Hudson advanced forward six spots to register a fourth-place finish.
Starting from the pole of his heat race on Saturday, Hudson raced his way into the $50,000-to-win Mountain Moonshine Classic with a flag-to-flag victory. Earning the seventh-starting position, O’Neal was up to third by lap 25 but was never able to reel in eventual race-winner Ricky Thornton Jr. He went onto place second in the 60-lapper, with Chris Ferguson, Jonathan Davenport, and Kyle Strickler completing the Top-5 finishers.
Hudson sits 185 points back in second in the latest LOLMDS point standings.
Full results from the events are available at www.LucasDirt.com.
The team continues their pursuit of the 2023 LOLMDS title this weekend with a trip to Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, Pa.) for the 17th annual Big River Steel Firecracker 100. The weekend includes twin $5,000-to-win programs on both Thursday and Friday followed by a $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday.
While O’Neal entered his first-career Firecracker 100 in 2022 with a 12th-place finish, Rocket1 Racing has been a regular contender in the mega event. They claimed the 2013 event victory with driver, Josh Richards.
For more event details, please visit www.LucasDirt.com.
Article Credit: Heath Lawson image