8/7/2023
Hudson O'Neal lands USA Nationals runner-up in Rocket1 at Cedar Lake
Hudson O’Neal came up inches short of a USA Nationals title on Saturday night aboard his Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
Despite a valiant last-lap charge for the top spot the Indiana racer came up shy of his first event title at Cedar Lake Speedway.
“I hit that cushion and I looked to my left and he [Bobby Pierce] wasn’t there, and I was like, 'I might win this thing.’ We were going down the front straightaway and he just started creeping up on me,” O’Neal said following his runner-up performance. “And he made sure to crowd me and get into me just a little bit to slow me down and make sure I didn't get a run down on the top of the straightaway. But man, that was awesome. I told him we don't need to make a habit of this. I'm so sick of running a second, man. We came so close to two $50,000s this year. We didn't necessarily give this one away, but I don't know … so close. It's hard whenever you're this close to winning these things. It’s aggravating but rewarding.”
Following the World of Outlaws (WoO) Case Late Model Series to Wisconsin, Rocket1 Racing and Hudson O’Neal returned to action with the series on Thursday evening at Cedar Lake Speedway (New Richmond, Wis.) as the 36th annual USA Nationals weekend kicked off with a $6,000-to-win preliminary feature.
With a heat race victory placing him on the third row for the opener, O’Neal regained his starting spot late in the 25-lapper to secure a fifth-place finish.
Improving on his fifth-place showing on Thursday, Hudson followed up a heat race win on Friday with a runner-up outing in the 25-lap preliminary feature. He chased race-long pacesetter Chris Madden to the checkers with Tanner English rounding out the podium.
Locked into the second-starting position for Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win USA Nationals finale, O’Neal took command of the top spot for the opening 34 circuits before a charging Bobby Pierce stole the top spot on lap 35.
Making a late-race bid to regain the lead from Pierce, Hudson attempted a slider on the final lap but fell 0.073-seconds at the line to place second.
He trailed Pierce to the checkers with Tanner English, Dennis Erb Jr., and Brandon Sheppard completing the top-five finishers.
The busy weekend drew to a close on Monday night with a $20,000-to-win XR Super Series event at Gondik Law Speedway (Superior, Wisc.). Hudson raced his way into the feature with a third-place finish in his heat race. After starting 10th, O’Neal went on to record a 12th-place finish.
Full results from the events are available at www.WorldofOutlaws.com and www.XRSuperSeries.com .
Rocket1 Racing resumes the 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season this Thursday – Saturday at Florence Speedway (Union, Ky.) with the 41st annual Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100. The weekend includes twin $5,000-to-win programs on Thursday and Friday followed by a $75,000-to-win finale on Saturday.
Hudson O’Neal currently sits second in the latest LOLMDS standings.
For more information on the weekend, please visit www.FlorenceSpeedway.com .
Article Credit: Jacy Norgaard image