6/13/2020
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Overton Wins Mountain Moonshine Classic at Smoky Mountain Speedway
MARYVILLE, TN (June 13, 2020) - Brandon Overton held off several challenges in a furious finish to win the Mountain Moonshine Classic on Saturday Night at Smoky Mountain Speedway. He earned the $15,000 payday for his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season in front of a record-setting crowd. Overton also became the sixth different winner in the six appearances by the series at Smoky Mountain Speedway.
Overton had to hold off Brandon Sheppard, Jimmy Owens, and Josh Richards in the closing laps to win the 60-lap event. Earl Pearson Jr. completed the top five drivers.
Sheppard took the early lead of the race and held the point until Overton was able to mount a charge and catch him. Overton briefly cleared Sheppard heading down the backstretch, but Sheppard was able to get by Overton at the start-finish line. Overton was not finished, he squeezed by on the bottom to take the lead on lap 27. Meanwhile, Owens caught up to Sheppard and the two drivers ran side-by-side for the second spot. The last 30 laps were spectacular as Richards started making up distance on the top three. Overton began battling heavy traffic and things got interesting for the top position late in the race. As the laps wound down, Owens yielded the second spot to Sheppard who cut dramatically into Overton’s lead with five laps to go. Overton was able to work enough distance between himself, Sheppard, and Owens to come home with the win.
In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the third time in four races, Overton was happy the race was over. “I just wanted the race to be done. I didn’t know where they were at. I saw so many people on that backstretch some were saying go high or go low and I did not know where to go. I could see him [Sheppard] on the bottom, but I am just fortunate to drive for an awesome group of people. We have had a lot of bad luck, and we have got a fast race car. Thank you to all the fans for coming out tonight. I was excited to see all these people here especially on the backstretch, it’s awesome to come here and see all of these fans. If I am going to win one it’s great do this in front this crowd. If the fans don’t come see us then we don’t have a job.”
Sheppard was in the hunt the entire distance at Smoky Mountain and came home in second. “That was a lot of fun out there. It was a good race between Brandon and Jimmy and me. Overton came out on top tonight. He [Overton] did a really good job and Jimmy did too. I hate leading that early in a race. We were really good on the bottom and then I caught lapped traffic and at some point I knew they would move up the track. The track got to be pretty even across the surface, and it made for some great racing.”
Owens completed the weekend with another podium finish and maintains the top spot in the championship point standings, “That was a heck of show! I enjoyed being a part of it. I wish we had been like a car length up further. Everybody got to swapping the lead back-and-forth a little bit. These guys will race you clean and that’s the way it should be.”
The winner’s Wells Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and is sponsored by Allstar Concrete, Crossfit Overton, Big Dog Stump and Tree, Penske Shocks, Dirt Mafia, E-Z Go, R.W. Powell Construction, Sunoco Race Fuels, Convenient Lube, and Top Notch Graphics.
The rest of the top ten finishers were Dale McDowell, Rick Weiss, Cory Hedgecock, Tyler Erb, and Kyle Hardy.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Mountain Moonshine Classic
Sunday, June 13th, 2020
Smoky Mountain Speedway – Maryville, TN
Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Brandon Sheppard / 16.459 seconds
Fast Time Group B:Jimmy Owens / 16.418 seconds (overall)
Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 14-Josh Richards[2]; 3. 23H-Cory Hedgecock[3]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 5. 4T-Tommy Kerr[5]; 6. 88M-Skylar Marlar[8]; 7. 26JR-Jimmy Sharpe[6]; 8. 21M-Robby Moses[7]; 9. 7B-Brian Smith[9]; 10. (DNS) 1V-Vic Hill
FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 7M-Donald McIntosh[5]; 3. 7W-Ricky Weiss[2]; 4. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[7]; 5. J27-Jay Scott[6]; 6. C5-David Crabtree[8]; 7. 9-Devin Moran[10]; 8. 329-Travis Fultz[9]; 9. 1G-Ryan King[4]; 10. 17-Logan Roberson[3]
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 2. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 8-Kyle Strickler[5]; 4. 79-Kyle Hardy[2]; 5. 50-Shanon Buckingham[6]; 6. 25-Shane Clanton[7]; 7. 23-John Blankenship[9]; 8. 16-Tyler Bruening[4]; 9. 2S-Stormy Scott[8]; 10. 17E-Kurt English[10]
Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 17M-Dale McDowell[5]; 3. 81E-Tanner English[8]; 4. 71-Hudson O'Neal[3]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 6. 49-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 7. 2H-Nick Hoffman[7]; 8. 22F-Chris Ferguson[2]; 9. 31-Tyler Millwood[9]
Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 4T-Tommy Kerr[1]; 2. J27-Jay Scott[2]; 3. 21M-Robby Moses[7]; 4. 88M-Skylar Marlar[3]; 5. 17-Logan Roberson[12]; 6. 26JR-Jimmy Sharpe[5]; 7. 329-Travis Fultz[8]; 8. 7B-Brian Smith[9]; 9. C5-David Crabtree[4]; 10. (DNS) 9-Devin Moran; 11. (DNS) 1G-Ryan King; 12. (DNS) 1V-Vic Hill
FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 50-Shanon Buckingham[1]; 3. 16-Tyler Bruening[7]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[4]; 5. 2S-Stormy Scott[9]; 6. 2H-Nick Hoffman[6]; 7. 31-Tyler Millwood[10]; 8. 23-John Blankenship[5]; 9. 22F-Chris Ferguson[8]; 10. 25-Shane Clanton[3]; 11. 17E-Kurt English[11]
Lucas Oil Feature Finish (60 Laps): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 2. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 4. 14-Josh Richards[5]; 5. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell[8]; 7. 7W-Ricky Weiss[11]; 8. 23H-Cory Hedgecock[9]; 9. 1T-Tyler Erb[18]; 10. 79-Kyle Hardy[14]; 11. 50-Shanon Buckingham[20]; 12. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 13. 49-Jonathan Davenport[23]; 14. 7M-Donald McIntosh[7]; 15. 40B-Kyle Bronson[13]; 16. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[15]; 17. 8-Kyle Strickler[10]; 18. 81E-Tanner English[12]; 19. 16-Tyler Bruening[22]; 20. 2S-Stormy Scott[26]; 21. 25-Shane Clanton[25]; 22. 4T-Tommy Kerr[17]; 23. 9-Devin Moran[24]; 24. J27-Jay Scott[19]; 25. 21M-Robby Moses[21]; 26. 71-Hudson O'Neal[16]
Race Statistics
Entrants: 39
Lap Leaders: Brandon Sheppard (Laps 1 – 26); Brandon Overton (Laps 27 – 50)
Wrisco Feature Winner: Brandon Overton
Margin of Victory: 1.039 seconds
Cautions: Tim McCreadie (Lap 7); Tanner English (Lap 7); Shane Clanton (Lap 29)
Series Provisionals: Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran
Fast Time Provisional: n/a
Series Emergency Provisionals: Shane Clanton, Stormy Scott
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Overton, Brandon Sheppard, Jimmy Owens
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Advanced 10 Positions)
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Jimmy Owens
Allstar Performance Most Laps Led: Brandon Overton (34 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon Overton
Eibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Tanner English
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Kent Fegter (Brandon Overton)
Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Earl Pearson Jr. (Lap #11 – 17.261 seconds)
STEEL-IT Tough Break of the Race: Hudson O’Neal
PFC Brakes Pole Award: Brandon Sheppard
Time of Race: 28 minutes 03 seconds
Submitted By: Jeremy Shields