TAMPA, Fla. - Hudson O’Neal held off Brandon Sheppard to win on opening night of the Wrisco Industries 45th Annual Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida on Monday.
O’Neal picked up the lead for good on lap 20 and held it to the checkered flag. The win marked his eighth career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and his second at East Bay.
Sheppard finished .359 seconds behind O’Neal at the checkers. Evans, Georgia’s Brandon Overton came home in the third finishing position. Devin Moran finished fourth, with Earl Pearson, Jr. in fifth.
Kyle Bronson grabbed the lead at the start of the 30-lap race and led for five laps until O’Neal took over the top spot for lap 6. O’Neal would only hold the point for one circuit until Bronson got back around him. Tyler Erb powered to the lead on lap 8 and then held the lead until the 19th lap when he was involved in a caution that relegated him to the back of the pack. Several cautions dotted a competitive battle for the lead that existed throughout the race.
O’Neal inherited the lead due to Erb’s misfortune, and began inching away from the field when a caution happened with two laps remaining. On the final restart of the race O’Neal held off several attempts from Sheppard on the last lap for the victory, his first since last Labor Day Weekend at Portsmouth, Ohio on his 20th birthday.
“We went with a little different tire choice than everybody else,” said O’Neal. “I was a little worried at the beginning rolling down the frontstretch and I saw everybody had on different tires. I was hopeful that the track would get slow enough where that our gamble would pay off. This Rocket Chassis has been awesome. We didn’t have anything to show how good we were at All-Tech, and I am happy to redeem myself here.”
Tony Jackson Jr., Tyler Erb, Tanner English, Mike Marlar, and Jeff Mathews rounded out the top 10.
For more information, visit LucasDirt.com.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
45th Annual Winternationals – January 25, 2021
| Pos | Start | Car # | Competitor | Hometown | Pay |
| 1 | 4 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | $5,000 |
| 2 | 3 | 1S | Brandon Sheppard | New Berlin, IL | $3,000 |
| 3 | 2 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | $2,000 |
| 4 | 22 | 9 | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH | $1,500 |
| 5 | 24 | 1 | Earl Pearson Jr | Jacksonville, FL | $1,000 |
| 6 | 30 | 56JR | Tony Jackson Jr | Lebanon, MO | $400 |
| 7 | 5 | 1T | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | $750 |
| 8 | 6 | 81E | Tanner English | Benton, KY | $700 |
| 9 | 7 | 157 | Mike Marlar | Winfield, TN | $650 |
| 10 | 13 | 33J | Jeff Mathews | Brandon, FL | $600 |
| 11 | 18 | 17D | Zack Dohm | Cross Lanes, WV | $550 |
| 12 | 26 | 99JR | Frank Heckenast Jr | Frankfort, IL | $500 |
| 13 | 16 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | $500 |
| 14 | 25 | 00H | Wil Herrington | Hawkinsville, GA | $500 |
| 15 | 19 | 28E | Dennis Erb Jr | Carpentersville, IL | $500 |
| 16 | 11 | 14B | John Baker | Norman Park, GA | $500 |
| 17 | 23 | 14 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | $500 |
| 18 | 12 | 18J | Chase Junghans | Manhattan, KS | $500 |
| 19 | 29 | 22 | Gregg Satterlee | Indiana, PA | $100 |
| 20 | 21 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | $500 |
| 21 | 14 | 76B | Blair Nothdurft | Renner, SD | $500 |
| 22 | 9 | 385 | Mark Whitener | Middleburg, FL | $500 |
| 23 | 20 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | $500 |
| 24 | 17 | 11H | Spencer Hughes | Meridian, MS | $500 |
| 25 | 8 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY | $500 |
| 26 | 27 | 21 | Billy Moyer Jr | Batesville, AR | $100 |
| 27 | 1 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | Brandon, FL | $500 |
| 28 | 15 | 25Z | Mason Zeigler | Chalk Hill, PA | $500 |
| 29 | 28 | 16 | Tyler Bruening | Decorah, IA | $100 |
| 30 | 10 | 3S | Brian Shirley | Chatham, IL | $500 |
