Dale McDowell led all 100 laps
Sometimes everything just goes the way you want it to. That’s what happened on Saturday night for Dale McDowell and his Shane McDowell Racing team when the No. 17m machine set fast time in qualifying, won a heat race then went on to lead all 100 laps of the XR Super Series feature at the Volunteer Speedway
The Team Zero Race Cars driver from Chickamauga, Georgia earned $100,000 for his efforts in a race contested on the track located in Bulls Gap, TN.
A total of 58 cars were signed in for competition
Qualifying Results:
Group A Results- 1. Hudson O’Neal (13.197), 2. Mack McCarter, 3. Chris Madden, 4. Mason Zeigler, 5. Bobby Pierce, 6. Camaron Marlar, 7. Sam Seawright, 8. Earl Pearson Jr., 9. Ricky Thornton Jr, 10. Benji Hicks, 11. Brian Shirley, 12. Devin Moran
Group B Results- 1. Dale McDowell (13.171), 2. Rusty Ballenger, 3. Ricky Weiss, 4. Chris Ferguson, 5. Kyle Bronson, 6. Brandon Overton, 7. Ethan Dotson, 8. Ross Bailes, 9. Mike Marlar, 10. Jimmy Owens, 11. Jacob Hawkins, 12. Brad Dyer
Heat 1 Results: 1. Hudson O’Neal, 2. Sam Seawright, 3. Mason Zeigler
Heat 2 Results: 1. Bobby Pierce, 2. Brian Shirley, 3. Tim McCreadie
Heat 3 Results: 1. Chris Madden, 2. Camaron Marlar, 3. Ricky Thornton Jr.
Heat 4 Results: 1. Dale McDowell, 2. Chris Ferguson, 3. Jimmy Owens
Heat 5 Results: 1. Kyle Bronson, 2. Rusty Ballenger, 3. Daulton Wilson
Heat 6 Results: 1. Mike Marlar, 2. Brandon Overton, 3. Michael Brown
B-main 1 Finish: 1. Tyler Erb, 2. Cory Hedgecock
B-main 2 Finish: 1. Ethan Dotson, 2. Dennis Erb Jr.
Feature Re-cap: The 100-lap feature got underway with McDowell bolting to the lead followed by O’Neal, Pierce, Bronson and Mike Marlar. A caution just after the completion of the first lap proved disastrous for fifth-starting Madden who suffered damage to his car and had to retire from the event.
During the race’s early stages, McDowell controlled the pace pulling out to a relatively comfortable advantage during green flag runs leaving O’Neal, Pierce, Bronson and Marlar to battle in his wake. Slower traffic became a factor on several occasions with McDowell able to maintain his lead over his pursuers.
O’Neal and Pierce traded the runner-up position multiple times during the first half of the event with Bronson and Marlar continuing to do battle further back on a track that proved to have multiple grooves throughout the night.
Marlar broke away from Bronson then moved up to challenge Pierce for third which he took on lap 39. Jonathan Davenport had to use a provisional to make the starting lineup but steadily moved forward until he cracked the top-10 just after the halfway point in the race.
Ferguson entered the fray during the middle stages taking turns with Bronson holding down the fifth position. With just 25 laps remaining, McDowell continued to lead with O’Neal and Marlar keeping close tabs as all three cars ran the low line around the track. Just behind the lead trio, Bronson, Pierce and Ferguson ran around the topside of the speedway.
Marlar kept McDowell in his sights during the race’s late stages with O’Neal also closing on the lead duo. But it would be McDowell who would cross under the checkered flag to score the lucrative victory.
Click the play button below to hear our post-race interview with Dale McDowell
Feature Results: 1. Dale McDowell, 2. Mike Marlar, 3. Hudson O’Neal, 4. Kyle Bronson, 5. Tyler Erb, 6. Tim McCreadie, 7. Ricky Thornton Jr., 8. Jonathan Davenport, 9. Cory Hedgecock, 10. Ethan Dotson, 11. Chris Ferguson, 12. Bobby Pierce, 13. Rusty Ballenger, 14. Jimmy Owens, 15. Brian Shirley, 16. Dennis Erb Jr., 17. Brandon Overton, 18. Camaron Marlar, 19. Mason Zeigler, 20. Sam Seawright, 21. Daulton Wilson, 22. Michael Brown, 23. Chris Madden, 24. Chris Chandler
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