11/5/2022
Hudson O'Neal debuts in Rocket1 at Charlotte; fifth in Thursday's prelim
Rocket1 Racing and their new pilot, Hudson O’Neal made their debut together over the weekend at the NGK NTK World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Concord, N.C.).
During the course of the three-race weekend O’Neal notably registered a fifth-place and eighth-place finish aboard the Rocket1 Racing / Valvoline / Seubert Calf Ranches No. 1 Ace Metal Works / XR1 Rocket Chassis / Durham Racing Engine Super Late Model.
“It was a great weekend for our team to get to know Hudson (O’Neal) better and for him to get a chance to work direct with us as we look ahead to a big 2023,” said Rocket1 Racing co-owner Mark Richards in regards to their debut together at the Dirt Track at Charlotte. “It’s hard to believe that the 2023 season will be here in basically two months. As a team we are very excited for next year, and our preparations are already in full-force. We want to thank all of our great marketing partners, who make our program possible, and we look forward to seeing everyone at Speedweeks.”
Rocket1 Racing returned to action on Thursday afternoon with Hudson O’Neal debuting behind the wheel of the Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil No. 1 Late Model for the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Concord, N.C.) .
With the massive field of 70 Late Models divided into two groups, O’Neal stopped the clock second-fastest in his group before grabbing the third-and-final transfer spot in his heat race. Starting the $15,000-to-win preliminary feature in 15th, Hudson worked his way into the top-10 by the halfway point of the 40-lapper but lost ground in the final five circuits to finish 13th.
For another round of prelims on Thursday afternoon, Hudson outdueled fellow front-row starter Dale McDowell in his heat race to pick up the eight-lap victory. With $15,000 on the line in the feature, O’Neal inched forward one spot in the 40-lap affair to register a fifth-place finish. He followed Tanner English, Shane Clanton, Chris Madden, and Mike Marlar across the line.
With point standings from prelims placing him on the pole of his heat race on Saturday, O’Neal dashed to an eight-lap victory, promoting him into the redraw. Receiving the second-starting position for the $25,000-to-win World Finals finale, Hudson set the pace for the first 27 circuits before surrendering the top spot to Jonathan Davenport.
Late in the race, O’Neal suffered body damage which relegated him to an eighth-place finish in the 50-lapper.
Full results from the weekend are available at www.WoOLMS.com.
The 2022 season has now drawn to a close for Rocket1 Racing. In 97 events the team scored 10 wins to go along with 43 Top-5 finishes and 73 Top-10 finishes.
For the latest team news and notes, please visit www.Rocket1Racing.com.
Article Credit: Zach Yost image
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