CONCORD, N.C. — Brent Marks started on the pole and won Friday’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series feature at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, but that hardly told the story on night three of the World Finals.
Driving the Murray-Marks No. 19, Marks traded the lead with Justin Peck and Tyler Courtney during a thrilling non-stop feature that saw three different drivers lead the race.
Marks earned $15,000 for what was his 13th overall victory of the season and the second of his career at the four-tenths-mile track.
“It feels amazing,” Marks said. “To win in front of this crowd is an amazing moment. Standing up on this stage at this race track means a lot to me. That was a really fun race. To have two grooves like that, I feel like the track crew did an amazing job there.”
While Marks led from the start, Courtney kept the Clauson Marshall Racing No. 7c within shouting distance.
So much so, that he blasted past Marks to lead on lap 10. But Peck was coming fast in the Buch Motorsports entry and he flashed past Courtney to lead the race on lap 13 of the 25-lap run.
Marks wasn’t finished and the trio raced in close quarters through the middle of the race.
“I was running the top and saw Tyler down on the bottom a couple of times so I switched my line up and felt pretty good up there and I slipped up and he got by me,” Marks said. “I tried work that in down then there, and then Justin drove around both of us on the top. I started moving around trying to figure out where to go. I was definitely better up there and decided to stay up there.”
To The Lead
Marks regained the lead on lap 15.
Despite Peck hounding him the rest of the distance, Marks took the checkered flag first.
“My guys gave me a great race car and me, Brent and Courtney had a good race, we raced each other pretty hard there,” said Peck, who’s still chasing his first WoO victory. “That was a lot of fun. That win has to come some time, we’ve come pretty close quite a few times and just can’t quite get it done.”
Courtney finished third.
“This is a track we statistically suck at, so to come here the last three nights and run fifth last night and third tonight puts us in pretty good shape for tomorrow night,” Courtney said.
Point leader Brad Sweet closed in on securing his fifth straight series championship with a fourth-place finish. Sweet needs a finish of 22nd or better in the season finale to wrap up his fifth straight championship.
James McFadden was fifth, while Sweet’s title rival, David Gravel came home sixth.
The finish:
Brent Marks, Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, James McFadden, David Gravel, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, Gio Scelzi, Justin Henderson, Carson Macedo, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Spencer Bayston, Chase Randall, Cole Macedo, Austin McCarl, Cory Eliason, Anthony Macri, Parker Price-Miller, Cap Henry, Kasey Kahne, Logan Schuchart, Robbie Price, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brock Zearfoss, Skylar Gee.