1HUDDY: O’Neal gets first World of Outlaws win, becomes 100th Series winner; McCreadie awarded Big Gator

When the smoke settled, spectators were left in awe of another historic rocket sighting in Florida.

They weren’t looking to the sky, though. The mesmerizing visual took place in Barberville, FL with the “rocket” landing on the front stretch of Volusia Speedway Park Saturday night.

While hearts around the track took a breath to ease their rapid pace from the excitement, Hudson O’Neal climbed from his Rocket1 Racing machine, slapping his hands on the roof, and exhausted all the air in his body with every yell as confetti levitated around him.

The 22-year-old from Martinsville, IN won his first World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model race during the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals finale and became the 100th different winner in World of Outlaws CASE Late Model history.

“It’s cool,” O’Neal said. “I came really close to winning these World of Outlaws races and for some reason never can seal the deal on them. To do it in the fashion we did and to be able to do it, it’s cool. It’s just more to do with Mark (Richards, owner of Rocket1 Racing) and the history that he has with the Outlaws. It’s special. This is a day I’ll never forget, I promise you.”

O’Neal’s space in Victory Lane was shared with 2006 World of Outlaws CASE Late Model champion Tim McCreadie, who clinched the 2023 Big Gator championship with his fourth-place finish. The Watertown, NY driver put together finishes of second, first, first, third and fourth to lock up his second Big Gator trophy.

Like O’Neal, McCreadie also made history as he became the first driver in the event’s history to win two Big Gator titles in two divisions. His first came with the Super DIRTcar Series in 2018.

“It’s pretty cool,” McCreadie said. “Not a lot of guys go out and venture to do something different. My whole career is about, ‘Hey, let’s go try and do something and have some fun with it and see if I’m good enough to overcome not knowing what to do with a different type of race car.’

“Hasn’t always worked out, but to come down here (at Volusia Speedway Park) and get a couple of these (Big Gator trophies) with all these fans here, that’s pretty cool.”

When the 50-lap, $20,000-to-win, Feature initially lined up, the easy bet seemed to be on McCreadie, who drew the pole. O’Neal, buried in 23rd after transferring in through a Last Chance Showdown, seemed far out of reach for a successful takeoff.

At the drop of the green flag, McCreadie launched ahead of the field, while outside pole sitter Chris Madden slid back to fourth in the first corner, moving Brian Shirley into second and Brandon Overton in third.

The first caution of the night came at Lap 3 for a slowed Mason Ziegler. In that short amount of time, O’Neal was already up to 12th-place.

Once the race resumed, McCreadie left Shirley and Overton to argue over second place. Six laps later, he found the back of the field. The straightaway led he had over Shirley was cut to a few car lengths in two laps.

Finally close enough to make a move, Shirley dove under McCreadie into Turn 1 on Lap 19, nosing ahead of him by the center of the corner. However, the #39 had the better run around the top of the track and gapped Shirley’s #8 car by a car length off Turn 2.

O’Neal, up to eighth.

By the halfway point of the race, Madden had found his groove again and moved into second. A caution on Lap 29 for Mike Spatola stopping in Turn 4 brought the current Series points leader to McCreadie’s rear bumper.

At this point, the firing of the thrusters on O’Neal’s machine could be heard as he sat fourth in line on the restart.

Shirley and Madden wagged a war for second before Shirley began to master the top and try to run down McCreadie for the lead. However, again, he failed. That opened the door for “The Mailman” Devin Moran to make his trek forward, bringing “Huddy” with him.

While McCreadie was caught behind Jimmy Owens, Moran dove underneath the former Outlaw champion and snuck ahead of him to claim the lead on Lap 42. After another circuit around, O’Neal also worked his way underneath McCreadie to take second.

Staying within reach of Moran, O’Neal moved to the top of the track while Moran hugged the bottom. When Moran had to wait on the throttle exiting Turn 4 with a lap car ahead of him, O’Neal hit the hyperdrive and blasted around the outside of the #99 to take the lead on Lap 45.

Moran tried to keep pace, but O’Neal ran a perfect trajectory to the checkered flag.

“To be honest, we took the green and I rode the middle and I felt like I could steer a little bit better than everybody could,” O’Neal said. “I started rolling around there and catching that middle and started driving by some guys stacked up on the bottom and the first caution came out [three] laps in and I looked up and I’m running 12th. I thought, ‘Oh man, starting 12th is a whole lot better than starting [23rd],’ and we had a lot of laps left.

“There for a while I was passing them, and I stalled out about fourth or so there and I just thought I don’t know if I have anything for them or not. I used my stuff up hard trying to get there. I don’t know, man, sometimes things just workout. Tonight, was one of those nights.”

In addition to the milestone marks of O’Neal’s triumph, he also won the Fox Factory Hard Charger Award, rocketing his way from 23rd to first, and became the fourth different driver to win for Rocket1 Racing.

“It means a lot, we’ve always been a big supporter of the World of Outlaws,” Richards said. “(O’Neal) makes the fourth driver to win for us. Bart Hartman won World of Outlaws races for us. Brandon (Sheppard) and Josh (Richards) won World of Outlaws races over the years. He’s starting a new chapter for us.”

That chapter will always be remembered as another unforgettable “rocket launch” in Florida.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series continues its 2023 season at Smoky Mountain Speedway, March 3-4. For the full 2023 schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS

Case Construction Equipment Feature (50 Laps): 1. 1-Hudson O’Neal[23]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[8]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[20]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 5. 76-Brandon Overton[7]; 6. B5-Brandon Sheppard[18]; 7. 44-Chris Madden[2]; 8. 32-Bobby Pierce[5]; 9. 8-Brian Shirley[3]; 10. 111-Max Blair[9]; 11. 18D-Daulton Wilson[11]; 12. 40B-Kyle Bronson[15]; 13. 19R-Ryan Gustin[13]; 14. 12-Ashton Winger[28]; 15. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[25]; 16. B1-Brent Larson[22]; 17. 9-Nick Hoffman[27]; 18. 18-Chase Junghans[12]; 19. 11-Gordy Gundaker[26]; 20. 25-Shane Clanton[6]; 21. 99B-Boom Briggs[29]; 22. 22*-Payton Freeman[30]; 23. 96V-Tanner English[14]; 24. 20-Jimmy Owens[17]; 25. 17M-Dale McDowell[19]; 26. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[24]; 27. 49-Jonathan Davenport[4]; 28. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[16]; 29. 89-Mike Spatola[21]; 30. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[10]

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Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals
Saturday, February 18, 2023
Volusia Speedway Park
1500 East State Road 40
Barberville, Florida 32130 

Event Description
Kick off the racing season with two full weeks of racing in Florida at the World's Fastest Half-Mile, Volusia Speedway Park!

Series Racing
World of Outlaws Late Model Series

Support Divisions
Super DIRTcar Series

To Win Amount
$20,000.00

Feature Laps Length
50

Event Schedule
UPDATE: 4:30PM GATE TIME ON FRIDAY

1PM Pit Gates open
5PM Grandstand Gates open
5:15PM Hot Laps/Qualifying
7PM RACING

See Detailed Schedule
*All times Eastern

Event Hashtag
#FLinFeb

Options And Prices
TICKETS

Grandstand Type
Bleachers, Chairbacks

Handicapped Seating Location
All Handicap seating is the first rows of each section

Pit Age Requirement
There is no age restriction in the pits. Anyone 17 years of age or younger will need to fill out a minor waiver form and be accompanied by an adult.

Pit Gate Location
East or West side of the Track.

Parking Cost
General Parking Free

Handicapped Parking Location
Handicap parking spots available. All spots are first come first serve.

Camping Availability
electric hookup, non-electric, onsite, sanitary facility, showers

Camping Cost
$30 a day for dry camping, $80 for electric/water/sewer.

Support Divisions
Super DIRTcar Series

To Win Amount
$20,000.00

Type of Grandstand
Bleachers, Chairbacks

Stadium Seating
Stadium seats are allowed as long as they don't conflict with the aisle behind you.

Handicapped Seating
All Handicap seating is the first rows of each section

Handicapped Parking
Handicap parking spots available. All spots are first come first serve.

Pit Age Limit
There is no age restriction in the pits. Anyone 17 years of age or younger will need to fill out a minor waiver form and be accompanied by an adult.

Pit Gate Location
East or West side of the Track.

Personal Coolers
Six-pack maximum cooler size. No alcohol. No glass.

ATMs
1

Credit Card Use
Pit Gate, Ticket Window

Alcohol Sales
Beer is available for purchase at the track.

Smoking Policy
No smoking in the Grandstands.


Parking Cost
General Parking Free

Camping Availability
electric hookup, non-electric, onsite, sanitary facility, showers

Camping Cost
$30 a day for dry camping, $80 for electric/water/sewer.

Volusia Speedway Park
1500 East State Road 40
Barberville, Florida 32130 

Track Phone
(386) 985-4402

Track Email
[email protected]

Track Size
0.482

Track Type
D-shaped oval

Sprint Car Track Record
12.569s by Paul McMahan on 2-10-11; 360 Sprint Car: 14.160 sec. by Brenham Crouch on Jan. 27, 2023; Non-Wing: 16.362s by Thomas Meseraull on Feb. 14, 2023

Late Model Track Record
Super: 15.100 sec. by Bobby Pierce on Jan. 19, 2024

Closest Airport
Daytona International Airport

Other Airport
Orlando Sanford

Pit Gate Location
East or West side of the Track.

Track Map

Competitor Downloads
 https://www.dirtcarmembers.com/downloads.php

Tire Rules
Must use the same set of 4 tires for Qualifying, Heat Races, and Last Chance Showdowns:
Left Rear/Fronts - Hoosier (90) NLMT1
Right Rear - Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20
For the Feature, competitors may use 3 new tires:
Left Rear/Fronts - Hoosier (90) NLMT1, (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20, (90) NLMT3, (90) LM30
Right Rear - Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20, (92) NLMT3, (92) LM30
*Grooving and Siping is allowed.
*Flat tire MUST be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.