Overton Earns First Lucas Oil Victory of the Season at Circle City
2025-05-04 00:09
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 2, 2025) - Brandon Overton had never seen Circle City Raceway before Friday night. However, during the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing's first-ever visit to the track on the southeast side of Indianapolis, Overton led every lap, earning the $15,000 victory and marking his first tour win of 2025.
Devin Moran pulled even with Overton after a lap 17 restart but couldn't clear him, as the Evans, Georgia driver fended off Moran's challenges for the rest of the race. Hudson O'Neal secured third place on the Big River Steel Podium. Jonathan Davenport finished fourth, with Ricky Thornton Jr. completing the top five drivers.
Overton took the lead from the pole position at the start of the 50-lap main event. Moran, who started next to Overton in the front row, moved into second and held that position until Garrett Alberson claimed second place on lap 15, just before a caution came out a lap later.
On the restart, Moran passed Alberson to regain second place and raced door-to-door with Overton off of turn two along the entire back straightaway. However, Overton maintained the lead off of turn four, and Moran was unable to challenge him for the rest of the race.
In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 19th time in his career, Overton overcame a string of bad luck in the last few races to return to victory lane with his comeback to the series in 2025.
"It would have been really easy for him (Moran) to get in there and knock me out a little bit, so I appreciate that. We have been leading races for four weekends in a row, and something happens, so sooner or later, something would go my way. I didn't think it would be here. It's pretty special to win here. I have the hardest-working guys in the pits; they don't give up, and they have good attitudes. As I said, I knew we were going to win sooner or later. The first one is always the hardest, so I hope it continues on."
Moran, who entered the race second in points and was seeking his sixth series win of the year, took the runner-up spot, falling just 0.062 seconds to Overton at the finish.
"It wasn't a bad run; congrats to Brandon and the guys. They have been having a lot of bad luck this year, so it's cool to see them win. I thought I had a chance; I got all the way underneath him, but I couldn't bring myself to go in there and door slam him for the win. I try to race respectfully, and he does too. I want to thank Circle City for tonight. The weather was not on our side; they still stuck their necks out there and put a lot of money on the line for us and for all of these fans sticking it out."
O'Neal, whose only previous race experience at Circle City was in a crate late model, finished third in the Big River Steel Podium.
"I was fortunate on that last restart and managed to bet on the bottom there. I kind of rooted my way in on the bottom and drove up to third. I caught up to those guys, but I just couldn't do anything with them. Thank you to Lucas Oil, congratulations to Brandon and Devin and everybody. Thank you to Circle City. It's always good to race around home. It's fun to see some familiar faces."
The winner's Riggs Motorsports, Longhorn Factory Team Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Garnto Southern, Big Dog Stump and Tree, NAPA Auto Parts, Roof U.S., UNOH, Dude Wipes, and Mesilla Valley Transportation.
Completing the top ten were Garrett Alberson, Daniel Hilsabeck, Jason Jameson, Spencer Hughes, and Carson Ferguson.
With forecasts for thunderstorms and up to an inch of rain on Saturday, the 39th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence Speedway has been canceled. Ticket refunds for anyone who purchased online or by credit card will be issued automatically. For the latest information, visit www.florencespeedway.com.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Friday, May 2, 2025
Circle City Raceway - Indianapolis, IN
Allstar Performance Time Trials
Overall Fast Time: Brandon Overton | 12.913 seconds
Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 4. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 5. 7R-Kent Robinson[5]; 6. 60-Dan Ebert[7]; 7. 14-Quentin White[8]; 8. P3-Steve Peeden[6]; 9. (DNS) 317-Blake Creech
Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 71-Hudson O'Neal[1]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 4. 12-Jason Jameson[5]; 5. 93L-Cory Lawler[4]; 6. 1G-Devin Gilpin[6]; 7. 6-Clay Harris[7]; 8. 28-Jeffrey Shackelford[8]; 9. (DNS) JD3-Jack Dossey III
Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[2]; 3. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 4. 11-Josh Rice[5]; 5. 79-Donald McIntosh[6]; 6. 11C-Tyler Collins[4]; 7. 20-Tyler Neal[7]; 8. 19M-Spencer Hughes[9]; 9. 72-PJ Simpson[8]
Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (7 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 6-Clay Harris[2]; 2. P3-Steve Peeden[4]; 3. 19M-Spencer Hughes[6]; 4. 20-Tyler Neal[3]; 5. 28-Jeffrey Shackelford[5]; 6. 72-PJ Simpson[9]; 7. 14-Quentin White[1]; 8. (DNS) 317-Blake Creech; 9. (DNS) JD3-Jack Dossey III
Feature Finish (50 Laps):
Pos - Start - Car # - Competitor - Hometown - Pay
1 - 1 - 76 - Brandon Overton - Evans, GA - $16,300
2 - 2 - 99 - Devin Moran - Dresden, OH - $8,000
3 - 5 - 71 - Hudson O'Neal - Martinsville, IN - $5,800
4 - 8 - 49 - Jonathan Davenport - Blairsville, GA - $5,100
5 - 3 - 20RT - Ricky Thornton Jr - Chandler, AZ - $4,200
6 - 4 - 58 - Garrett Alberson - Las Cruces, NM - $3,200
7 - 9 - 22 - Daniel Hilsabeck - Earlham, IA - $3,200
8 - 11 - 12 - Jason Jameson - Lawrenceburg, IN - $2,300
9 - 21 - 19M - Spencer Hughes - Meridian, MS - $2,900
10 - 6 - 93 - Carson Ferguson - Lincolnton, NC - $2,800
11 - 17 - 1G - Devin Gilpin - Columbus, IN - $2,500
12 - 7 - 1 - Brandon Sheppard - New Berlin, IL - $2,500
13 - 16 - 60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, MN - $2,300
14 - 19 - 6 - Clay Harris - Jupiter, FL - $2,200
15 - 14 - 93L - Cory Lawler - Hanover, PA - $2,100
16 - 15 - 79 - Donald McIntosh - Dawsonville, GA - $2,000
17 - 23 - 28 - Jeffrey Shackelford - Clayton, IN - $1,200
18 - 13 - 7R - Kent Robinson - Bloomington, IN - $1,100
19 - 20 - P3 - Steve Peeden - Martinsville, IN - $1,000
20 - 18 - 11C - Tyler Collins - North Vernon, IN - $1,000
21 - 10 - 18D - Daulton Wilson - Fayetteville, NC - $1,700
22 - 12 - 11 - Josh Rice - Crittenden, KY - $1,000
23 - 22 - 20 - Tyler Neal - Paragon, IN - $1,000
24 - 24 - 72 - PJ Simpson - Berry , KY - $1,000
Race Statistics
Entrants: 27
Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Brandon Overton
MD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (Laps 1-50)
Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Brandon Overton
Wieland Feature Winner: Brandon Overton
Margin of Victory: 0.063 seconds
Coltman Farms Racing Cautions: Tyler Collins, Tyler Neal, PJ Simpson, Steve Peeden (Initial Start); Josh Rice (Lap 15); Daulton Wilson (Lap 16); Cory Lawler (Lap 35)
Series Provisionals: n/a
Fast Time Provisional: Jeffrey Shackelford; PJ Simpson
Emergency Provisional: n/a
Track Provisional: n/a
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, Hudson O'Neal
Penske Shocks Top 5: Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, Hudson O'Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr.
PEM 4th Place Feature: Jonathan Davenport
DMI Rearends 5th Place Feature: Garrett Alberson
Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Daniel Hilsabeck
Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Devin Gilpin
Deatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Dan Ebert
MD3 24th Place Feature: PJ Simpson
Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Spencer Hughes (Advanced 12 Positions)
MD3 Most Laps Led: Brandon Overton (50 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O'Neal
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.
O'Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Daniel Hilsabeck
Pro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Overton (Lap 2 | 12.805 seconds)
Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Hudson O'Neal
Fresh Roof Hard Luck Award: Daulton Wilson
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis
Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brandon Overton (12.735 seconds)
Time of Race: 26 minutes 06 seconds
Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:
Pos - Car # - Competitor - Hometown - Points - Pay
1 - 20RT - Ricky Thornton Jr - Chandler, AZ - 2585 - $125,800
2 - 99 - Devin Moran - Dresden, OH - 2515 - $133,349
3 - 49 - Jonathan Davenport - Blairsville, GA - 2390 - $79,900
4 - 58 - Garrett Alberson - Las Cruces, NM - 2210 - $47,150
5 - 76 - Brandon Overton - Evans, GA - 2205 - $53,850
6 - 71 - Hudson O'Neal - Martinsville, IN - 2105 - $42,875
7 - 18D - Daulton Wilson - Fayetteville, NC - 2060 - $41,250
8 - 1 - Brandon Sheppard - New Berlin, IL - 1990 - $34,500
9 - 1T - Tyler Erb - New Waverly, TX - 1835 - $27,400
10 - 93 - Carson Ferguson - Lincolnton, NC - 1835 - $27,875
11 - 22 - Daniel Hilsabeck - Earlham, IA - 1800 - $21,050
12 - 19M - Spencer Hughes - Meridian, MS - 1755 - $22,150
13 - 79 - Donald McIntosh - Dawsonville, GA - 1700 - $18,100
14 - 60 - Dan Ebert - Lake Shore, MN - 1605 - $14,950
15 - 7 - Ross Robinson - Georgetown, DE - 1555 - $20,300
16 - 6 - Clay Harris - Jupiter, FL - 1540 - $17,350
17 - 93L - Cory Lawler - Hanover, PA - 1405 - $8,975
About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing
Founded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2025, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 58 events across 16 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.
The series receives national exposure through a television package streamed live via FloRacing, with select broadcasts on RACER Network.
The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.
Official Marketing Partners
Associate Marketing Partners
Advanced Powder Coating, Behrent's Performance Warehouse, Black Diamond Chassis, Boyd Bilt Fabrication, Brodix, Capital Race Cars, Clements Racing Engines, Coltman Farms Racing, Dave Warren Powersports, Deatherage Opticians, DMI Rearends, Fast Shafts, Fire Suppression Engineering, FOX Shocks, Fresh Roof, Heartbeat Hot Sauce, Heath Lawson Photography, Hellraizer Jacks, Hoker Trucking, Keyser Manufacturing, Longhorn Chassis, MD3, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Midwest Sheet Metal, MSD, Outerwears, PEM - Performance Engineering Mfg, Penske Racing Shocks, ProFabrication Headers, Pro Power Racing Engines, Rocket Chassis, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Slicker Graphics, Strange Oval, Swift Springs, Thermo-Tec Automotive Products, Vic Hill Race Engines, Victory Fuel, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Wilwood, Xceldyne, and 5150 Race Trailers