Brandon Overton came to the Smoky Mountain Speedway on Saturday night with momentum on his side and he kept things going in a positive direction by winning the Ultimate Super Late Model Series/Valvoline Iron-Man Late Model Series co-sanctioned feature event. This came following his Friday night Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals triumph at Georgia’s Swainsboro Raceway on Friday evening.
The Longhorn Chassis driver from Evans, Georgia earned $12,000 for his efforts. This event served as the season opener for the Maryville, Tennessee track.
A total of 37 cars were signed in for competition.
Group A Qualifying Results: 1. Matt Henderson(16.632), 2. Jonathan Davenport, 3. Camaron Marlar, 4. Michael Chilton, 5. Ricky Weiss, 6. Wil Herrington, 7. Eli Beets, 8. Dale McDowell, 9. Zack Mitchell, 10. Austin Kirkpatrick
Group B Qualifying Results: 1. Brandon Overton(16.418), 2. Mike Marlar, 3. Tim McCreadie, 4. Garrett Alberson, 5. Chris Ferguson, 6. Kyle Strickler, 7. Jimmy Owens, 8. Hudson O’Neal, 9. Skip Arp, 10. Tyler Erb
Heat 1 Finish: (Top-4 transfer) 1. Camaron Marlar, 2. Matt Henderson, 3. Ricky Weiss, 4. Eli Beets
Heat 2 Finish: 1. Michael Chilton, 2. Jonathan Davenport, 3. Dale McDowell, 4. Wil Herrington
Heat 3 Finish: 1. Brandon Overton, 2. Tim McCreadie, 3. Chris Ferguson, 4. Jimmy Owens
Heat 4 Finish: 1. Mike Marlar, 2. Kyle Strickler, 3. Garrett Alberson, 4. Hudson O’Neal
B-main 1 Finish: 1. Zack Mitchell, 2. Clay Coghlan
B-main 2 Finish: 1. Tyler Erb, 2. Christian Hanger
Feature Account: At the start of the 60-lap feature race it was pole sitter Camaron Marlar who jumped out to the early lead with Overton, McCreadie, Mike Marlar and Chilton in arrears. Strickler was able to get by Chilton for fith early in the going . That move opened the door for Davenport who also swept by Chilton to grab sixth.
By lap 6 in a race that would run its first 51 circuits caution free, the younger of the Marlar brothers found himself working through slower traffic with Overton and McCreadie trailing closely behind. On lap 11, Overton made his move as he shot by Marlar to seize the lead of the race. Two laps later, McCreadie also passed by Marlar with the young driver’s older brother also following suit.
The race then fell into a rhythm with Overton holding a slight advantage over a close fight for second between McCreadie and Marlar with Strickler and Davenport rounding out the top-5.
A lap 51 caution for debris on the track allowed for a restart to settle the issue. Overton got the jump when green flag racing resumed but Marlar was able to get around McCreadie for second while Davenport jumped from fifth to fourth in the running order.
But in the end, the victory and the winner’s trophy belonged to Overton.
Feature Finish: 1. Brandon Overton, 2. Mike Marlar, 3. Tim McCreadie, 4. Jonathan Davenport, 5. Kyle Strickler, 6. Dale McDowell, 7. Hudson O’Neal, 8. Chris Ferguson, 9. Camaron Marlar, 10. Wil Herrignton, 11. Tyler Erb, 12. Eli Beets, 13. Michael Chilton, 14. Anthony Sanders, 15. Jimmy Owens, 16. Garrett Alberson, 17. Corey Gordon, 18. Christian Hanger, 19. Ricky Weiss, 20. Stacey Boles, 21. Clay Coghlan, 22. Matt Henderson, 23. Skip Arp, 24. Brian Ledbetter, 25. Steve Smith, 26. Zack Mitchell
Respond to this post on Twitter by following @RichardAllenIDR and @MichaelRMoats or by liking the InsideDirtRacing.com Facebook page.
Also, NASCAR and pavement racing fans can check out InsideCircleTrack.
