UNION, Ky. — Brandon Overton set fast time, won his heat and claimed the feature victory for the Sunoco North-South Shootout Presented by Lucas Oil on Thursday night at Florence Speedway.
It was his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season and his 20th overall dirt late model triumph.
Overton passed race leader Ricky Thornton Jr. on lap 14 after Thornton had led the first 13 laps of the 50-lap main event. With lightning in the area for most of the night, Overton raced to the checkers 2.235 seconds ahead of Thornton.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series point leader Tim McCreadie came home third, followed by Jimmy Owens and Jonathan Davenport, who started 23rd.
“I guess I don’t drive hard enough in those first couple of laps,” said Overton, who earned $10,000. “It was actually good for me because I got to move around there to see where I was good at. I was way too tight and the car started shoving there at the end, but we got it done.”
Overton started on the outside of the front row but fell to fourth at the start of the race. He climbed to third on lap 12, then to second a lap before his charge to the lead around Thornton. “It’s all about confidence, it just keeps rolling over and rolling over,” said the 30-year-old Georgian. “To win here Saturday night would mean a lot to David and the whole Wells Family, to get us one here in Kentucky. I told them I would try my best and do all I can do.”
Thornton came home in second.
““We had a really good car tonight,” he said. “I want to thank Anthony Burroughs and everybody that helps us, they have been working their tails off. I feel like we have gotten a lot better here in the last week or so, hopefully we can keep this up.”
McCreadie was third.
“We are just not good enough right now. I was running the cushion early on, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I didn’t get the attitude to do what I needed it too do. It’s a good start to the weekend. A little disappointing just because we should be better. Good job to the Lucas Oil and track officials for hurrying us along to get this in tonight.”
The finish:
Brandon Overton, Ricky Thornton Jr., Tim McCreadie, Jimmy Owens, Jonathan Davenport, Mike Marlar, Kyle Bronson, Hudson O’Neal, Spencer Hughes, Zack Dohm, Tyler Erby, Justin Rattliff, Johnny Scott, Shane Clanton, Earl Pearson Jr., Stormy Scott, James Rice, Gregg Satterlee, Darrell Lanigan, Scott James, Josh Richards, Kent Robinson, Josh Rice, Curt Addison, David Webb, Dustin Linville.