BRASSTOWN, N.C. — With a track record $22,022 on the line as Tri-County Race Track hosted the Castrol FloRacing Night in America tour for the 17th FK Rod Ends Tar Heel 53 presented by Jacky Jones Automotive Group.
Hall of Famer Dale McDowell left the quarter-mile track with the big check.
The 56-year-old veteran from Georgia started 10th and peddled his brother’s Shane McDowell Racing machine around Tri-County’s inside line all the way to the front. He took the lead from race-long leader Carson Ferguson down the backstretch on lap 45 and drove away to a 1.505-second victory over Overton, who started fifth.
Sixth-starting Madden ran as high as second before settling for third, while Cla Knight picked up 11 spots to finish fourth and polesitter Garrett Alberson completed the top five.
“We had a pretty good long run car as we usually do,” said McDowell. “A couple weeks ago (during a $20,000-to-win World of Outlaws race) at Boyd’s, I was a little easy and let one I feel like get away from us. These things are hard to get, so we managed our tires.
“Shane and Landon, you know, they balanced the car. Shane’s good at adjusting and getting it balanced in all the information that I can feed him. I really didn’t know. It was awfully racy there in lapped traffic, so I kind just chose the bottom there for a little bit and then there late I got to running the middle. Man, it’s awesome. Awesome win here.”
Starting outside the front row, Ferguson grabbed the lead on the opening lap from Alberson and paced the field comfortably out front until Sheppard, running second at the time, slowed with a flat tire on lap 38 and then drew a caution on lap 39. McDowell, who had made it to sixth by then, grabbed one position thanks to Sheppard’s exit and another on the restart. He made it three wide as he grabbed second on lap 43 and immediately ran down Ferguson.
As the two raced down the back straightway — McDowell on the inside and Ferguson outside — they touched, with McDowell surging ahead entering turn three to lead lap 45. Ferguson tried to answer, but as he dove to McDowell’s inside entering turn one, he spun to draw the race’s third and final caution. Rather than continue on from the rear, Ferguson parked and was credited with 20th place.
“He’s mad, but I was completely wheel-to-wheel with him, and he turned left,” said McDowell. “I didn’t spin him out. We rubbed a little bit getting down into the corner. He needs to watch the video. He’s got a lot to learn, so I think if he goes back and watches the video he’ll understand what went on there.
“I was just holding my line on the bottom. I didn’t wash out up into him … didn’t get into the back of him, just run side-by-side down the straightaway there, the back straightaway there, and he started cutting left trying to cut me off and I just kinda held my ground.”
On the final restart, McDowell left Overton, Madden and a fast-closing Knight to battle for the runner-up spot. Overton secured it and stayed there the remainder of the distance.
“Congrats to Dale man, he was good,” said Overton. “He could run down there and get in that bottom and get stuck and go the other way. (I was) just too loose. Started the day off wrong, too tight qualifying and got us put back. I don’t know, it is what it is. It was a fun race, run good. We’ll take it and go on.”
Madden was scored in second on laps 41 and 42 and lined up beside Overton on the restart in third, but as he tried to regain the spot, he slid high in turns one and two, coming close to surrendering his podium finish to Knight.
“I wasn’t as good as Dale was. He could stick right in that bottom and leave and exit pretty hard,” said Madden. “We give it one last shot up there and got over the cushion and got hung up. We just give it all we had right there. Great finish for us tonight. We’ve been struggling a little bit here lately. I think we got something we can build on again and keep working hard and see if we can’t get back in victory lane. Awesome race tonight. Had fun. Had a great time. Me and Dale had a heck of a heat race. That was fun you know. That’s racing.”
The finish:
Feature (53 Laps): 1. 17M-Dale McDowell[10]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[5]; 3. 44-Chris Madden[6]; 4. 42-Cla Knight[15]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 6. 1D-Brent Dixon[11]; 7. 79-Ross Bailes[8]; 8. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[16]; 9. 1-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 10. 1C-Kenny Collins[17]; 11. 18W-Daulton Wilson[18]; 12. 1T-Tyler Erb[22]; 13. 32-Bobby Pierce[12]; 14. F1-Payton Freeman[9]; 15. 49-Jonathan Davenport[13]; 16. 8-David Payne[23]; 17. 10-Garrett Smith[4]; 18. 72-Barrett Lowe[21]; 19. 38-Jamie Oliver[20]; 20. (DNF) 93-Carson Ferguson[2]; 21. (DNF) 19M-Wil Herrington[14]; 22. (DNF) 0-Scott Bloomquist[7]; 23. (DNF) 1S-Jeff Smith[19]