Jimmy Owens took the lead on lap 33
The Ray Cook-promoted Spring Nationals steam toward its conclusion on Monday night as the mini-series rolled into the 411 Motor Speedway to contest the Scott Sexton Memorial. At the end of the night it was Jimmy Owens who took the lead just after the halfway mark and ultimately left the Seymour, TN facility with a winner’s check valued at $10,052.
Dale McDowell completed his run through the Spring Nationals and secured the series title with a top-10 result.
Owens proved to be the fastest in Group A qualifying as he turned a lap of 14.198 seconds around the 3/8 mile clay oval. That effort beat out Ross Bailes, Tanner English, and Ricky Weiss.
Brandon Overton was fastest in Group B and overall with a lap of 14.189 second to better the times of Michael Chilton, Hudson O’Neal and Kyle Strickler.
Owens earned the pole for the feature by winning the night’s first heat race ahead of English, Robby Moses and Ryan King while Bailes took the second preliminary over Weiss, Jason Welshan and Chris Ferguson.
Overton would start the feature from the outside of the front row by virture of his win in the third heat as he beat out O’Neal, Shanon Buckingham and Cory Hedgecock just before Strickler won the fourth and final heat race ahead of Kyle Bronson, Jason Cardwell and Walker Arthur.
Donald McIntosh bested McDowell, Tim McCreadie and David Crabtree in the lone B-main of the evening.
At the start of the 52-lap feature it was Overton who sailed into the lead with Owens, Strickler, O’Neal and Bailes trailing. The No. 2 machine quickly set about the task of building a big lead and by the third lap he had already stretched out a margin of a full straightaway.
The racing was intense early on
But with no caution flag waving until lap 11, Overton would eventually encounter slower traffic. Owens closed in on the leader and appeared poised to make a move until the yellow flag was displayed when English came to stop in turn four.
Ricky Weiss(7) and Ross Bailes battling for position
On the ensuing restart Overton and Owens separated themselves from a fierce battle between Strickler, O’Neal and Bailes for positions 3-5. That fight would see Bailes put a slide job maneuver on O’Neal to briefly take fourth until O’Neal performed a crossover move to retake the spot. That action allowed Weiss to close in from sixth. Then on lap 19 the Canadian racer took fifth from Bailes then grabbed fourth away from O’Neal after a brief skirmish.
The lead duo once again found themselves mired in heavy traffic just past the halfway point of the race. Owens closed in and seized an opportunity to take over the race lead on lap 33 when Overton was held up by another car.
At the same time, Weiss continued his climb as he took third away from Strickler.
Overton kept Owens in his sight the rest of the way but the No. 20 machine eventually sailed under the checkered flag to score the win.
Owens in victory lane with the sons of Scott Sexton
Feature Finish: 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Brandon Overton, 3. Ricky Weiss, 4. Hudson O’Neal, 5. Kyle Strickler, 6. Dale McDowell, 7. Kyle Bronson, 8. Chris Ferguson, 9. Ross Bailes, 10. Shanon Buckingham, 11. Cory Hedgecock, 12. Robby Moses, 13. Tim McCreadie, 14. Jason Cardwell, 15. Donald McIntosh, 16. Jason Welshan, 17. Ryan King, 18. Joseph Faulkner, 19. Walker Arthur, 20. David Crabtree, 21. Tanner English, 22. Forrest Trent
Dale McDowell accepting the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals trophy and check
