Overton Wins Mountain
Moonshine Classic at Smoky Mountain Speedway
(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.
(MRM
Racing Photos)
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):
Pos Start Car # Competitor Hometown Pay
1 3 76 Brandon Overton Evans, GA $15,000
2 1 1S Brandon Sheppard New Berlin, IL $6,500
3 2 20 Jimmy Owens Newport, TN $4,400
4 5 14 Josh Richards Shinnston, WV $3,800
5 6 1 Earl Pearson Jr Jacksonville, FL $3,300
6 8 17m Dale McDowell Chickamauga, GA $1,900
7 11 7w Ricky Weiss Headingley, MB $1,700
8 9 23H Cory Hedgecock Loudon, TN $1,600
9 18 1T Tyler Erb New Waverly, TX $2,250
10 14 79 Kyle Hardy Stephens City, VA $1,500
11 20 50 Shanon Buckingham Morristown, TN $1,450
12 4 39 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY $2,100
13 23 49 Jonathan Davenport Blairsville, GA $2,350
14 7 7M Donald McIntosh Dawsonville, GA $1,300
15 13 40B Kyle Bronson Brandon, FL $1,900
16 15 21 Billy Moyer Jr Batesville, AR $1,800
17 10 8 Kyle Strickler Mooresville, NC $1,000
18 12 81E Tanner English Benton, KY $1,800
19 22 16 Tyler Bruening Decorah, IA $1,000
20 26 2S Stormy Scott Las Cruces, NM $100
21 25 25 Shane Clanton Zebulon, GA $800
22 17 4T Tommy Kerr Maryville, TN $1,000
23 24 9 Devin Moran Dresden, OH $1,700
24 19 J27 Jay Scott Taft, TN $1,000
25 21 21M Robby Moses Maryville, TN $1,000
26 16 71 Hudson O'Neal Martinsville, IN $1,700
Austin Neely set fast time in the limited late model division
to grab the pole for the feature race. Kyle Courtney joined Neely
on the front row for the race. When the green flag waved, Neely
shot to the lead going into turn 1. But Neely’s car lost
traction and allowed Kyle Courtney to slide by on the outside
to grab the lead coming off turn 2. A bottleneck in turn 1 two
laps later allowed David Crabtree, Taylor Puckett, Bobby Giffin,
and Cory Hedgecock to join the battle for second and third place.
Lowe and Chase King moved past Neely while King, Puckett, and
Giffin were also got around Neely. Courtney felt no pressure from
Lowe in the closing laps to win the race with Lowe and King rounding
out the top 3.
Limited Late Models:
1. Kyle Courtney # 171 - $1,300
2. Jesse Lowe # 5j
3. Chase King # 44
4. Taylor Puckett # 28
5. Bobby Giffin # 97
6. Austin Neely # 3
7. Aaron Guinn # 97
8. Mack McCarter # 51
9. Mike Price # 77
10. Perry Delaney # 77
11. Kris Pauley # B54
12. Tyler Price # 7
13. Jerry Green # 14
14. Buddy Ball # 40
15. Cory Hedgecock # 23
16. David Crabtree # C5
17. Trevor Parker # 26
18. Kip Cochran # 55
19. Wade Howerton # 115
20. Tod Hernandez # T6
DID NOT START: Jason Manley (32)
Fastest Qualifier: Austin Neely + $150
Hard Charger: Mike Price + $100
Jed Emert took the early lead in the sportsman late model feature.
An intense battle took place behind Emert for second between Brandon
Miller, Jake Whitehead, and Kyle Courtney. Miller would eventually
secure second place until spinning late in the race. That moved
Whitehead into second on the restart. Whitehead worked the bottom
to find away around Emert but could not move alongside enough
to grab the lead. Emert took the win over Whitehead and Courtney.
Sportsman Late Models:
1. Jed Emert # 98 - $1,100
2. Jake Whitehead # 116
3. Kyle Courtney # 16r
4. Adam Mitchell # 50
5. Kip Sawyer # 44
6. Joshua Sneed # 79
7. Warren McMahan # 33
8. Bryan Cooper # 15
9. Brandon Miller # 89
10. Joe Bray # 76
11. Quincy Adams # 32
12. David Singleton # 19
13. Brad Seagle # 31
14. Richard Bailey # 41
15. Jason Wyres # 18
16. Jeff McLemore # EZ1
17. Nicholas Shelton # 9
DID NOT START: Robbie Chancellor (31)
Fastest Qualifier: Brandon Miller + $100
Hard Charger: Adam Mitchell + $100
MOUNTAIN MOONSHINE CLASSIC PHOTO GALLERY
(MRM
Racing Photos)
